Xenosaga Episode III: Lager Unsere Kreuze
by Foibles and Fables
Summary: A tiny ripple has just been born in the world that surrounds them.One day, that ripple will grow into a large wave, and it will swallow even them. Chapter 5: Things begin falling into a routine, and old wounds burn fiercely.
1. Prologue: Taking Up the Cross

**Ooooh, this is so cool! I'm back with a sequel! This one will be more off the plotline. A _long_ way off the plotline.**

**This story is dedicated to the forum of Xenolegacy. You guys are awesome…never _never_ change, you hear me?**

**Neo: Yeah, I actually think this is gonna be pretty cool too. You know what I hate though? Why did the man who played me go to the Oscars with Sandra Bullock?**

**I agree, Neo! That was stupid! –High five-**

**Neo: Hells yeah. –Returns high five- KOS-MOS rox does not own anything in this chapter, but she will soon start a Sandra Bullock hate club.**

**I hope you enjoy the prologue! It takes place the night of chapter 18, which will explain the…well, you'll see.**

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"_Now is the time of fulfillment, the reign of God is at hand…**"**_

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**Xenosaga Episode III: Lager Unsere Kreuze**

**Prologue: Taking Up the Cross**

'_Can you feel your heartbeat racing?'_

'_Can you taste the fear in your sweat?'_

'_Your life is going to change and there is nothing you can do about it. You thought things were chaotic now, but everything will only grow more complicated…' _

_Voices reverberated in Shion's head as her eyes dashed around in the suffocating blackness that surrounded, frantically trying to see. Everything was drowned in shadows. A burning sensation rose in her throat as she began to run, blinded on all sides by darkness and fear. _

_Suddenly, she felt someone grab her arm from behind. She cried out as the person whirled her around with such force that she almost fell over. Whimpering, her tear-filled eyes fell upon the blurry and ethereal vision of her father, brother, and mother. The males both wore malicious glares, their angry piercing daggers into her soul. But her mother…on her face was a soft, sympathetic smile. _

_Shion's father let go of her arm, shaking her and causing her to stumble backwards. He raised a hand to hit her, just as he had done when she was a child. Shion sobbed aloud and threw her hands up in defense, trying to ward off the blow. But the contact never came._

_Shion reluctantly opened her eyes, gasping when she saw her mother standing in front of her, arms spread out protectively. "Don't you **dare** touch her, Jin," her mother warned in a grave voice. "She had no control over what happened, and you know that." Hearing her mother's voice once again caused memories of her childhood to flood into Shion's mind. She began to cry softly, covering her face with her hands._

"_Don't cry, Shion," her mother said, placing a comforting hand on her cheek. Her emerald eyes sparkled as she whispered, "This is what you were born to do."_

"_Mom…" Shion sniffed, tears streaking down her cheeks. Her mother pulled her into a close embrace. Shion had grown to be a bit taller than her, but their futures were still almost exactly identical._

"_I hate to feel you tremble," she said comfortingly._

"_I don't know what to do anymore," Shion sobbed as her mother gently stroked her hair._

"_Just let fate take its course," she replied softly, smiling. "You can do a better job at this than we could ever do. Just know that you'll never be alone."_

"_I'll never be alone…" Shion repeated through the tears. Jin had given her the exact same advice a few days ago._

"_Allen is a wonderful man." Shion's mother smiled softly. "I wouldn't have wanted it to be anyone rather than him."_

"_Hm?" Shion asked. "What are you talking about?"_

"_You'll know soon enough," her mother said soothingly, smoothing down her hair. "Just know that no matter what happens, we love you. All of us."_

_As her family began to disappear, Shion sobbed, "No! Don't go! Don't leave me here alone!" She moaned loudly and fell to her knees, holding her forehead in her hands, trying to hang onto the remaining shards of clarity in her mind. But it was to no avail; her head was being consumed by a persistent buzzing. With one last groan, she fell onto her side, feeling reality slip from her grasp…_

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_The emptiness in Shion's mind was absolute. And yet there was a sound…a distant voice._

"_Shion."_

_It was thin and distant. She had heard the voice before, but couldn't put it to a face. There were other voices too – all familiar and close, speaking directly to her._

"_Err…did you mean that **literally** or **metaphorically**?" Jr.'s voice rasped uneasily._

"_Oh, Shion! Are you sure you're alright?" Momo asked._

"_That's unbelievable!" Gaignun and Albedo this time._

"_You've gotta be kidding us." Mary and Shelley's voices were incredulous._

"_You, of all people? I honestly never saw this coming," Ziggy sighed._

"_You've brought this upon yourself," her brother scorned._

_Shion moaned and struggled to open her eyes. Were her comrades here with her, or was it just in her head? Once she regained her senses, her eyes fluttered open. She was lying in that deserted, monotone graveyard she had seen so many, many times. Slowly, the woman pulled herself to her feet, scanning the empty horizon. She was all alone, isolated and afraid. She felt herself physically waver, but a strong hand held her by the shoulder. _

_She looked to see who was supporting her. She gasped when she saw Wilhelm, dressed in pristine white garments, two blood-red wings protruding from his back. His claret gaze was transfixed on something on front of Shion. "M-Master Wilhelm?" she stammered._

"_You're not here for our sake."_

_Shion abruptly whipped around, searching for the source of the voice. Her eyes tripled in size as she saw chaos approaching them. He was dressed in the same white robe as Wilhelm, his omniscient, gentle smile adorning his tanned face. But what Shion noticed first was his majestic blue wings…the beautiful color, as well as that of Wilhelm's, stood out sharply against the gray milieu. "chaos? What a-"_

"_Rather, you are here for his sake." chaos's cerulean eyes seemed to shimmer and glow in the dreary color that surrounded them. _

"_Whose sake?" Shion demanded. chaos said nothing; he only pointed over Shion's shoulder to the area in front of her. _

_Shion turned and watched in numb fear as a figure approached them through the shadows and swirling mist. Gradually, the silhouette revealed itself. The teen's bright green eyes glowed and his dark brown hair shined as he stepped closer to them. As were chaos and Wilhelm, he was dressed in pure white garb. He looked to be about sixteen, just like the blue-winged boy behind Shion. "Shion Uzuki," he breathed as he finally reached them. The twin brothers stepped away from the woman._

"_H-How do you know my name?" Shion asked in a bewildered tone. _

"_I know many things about you," he replied matter-of-factly. Shion narrowed her eyes, trying to think of who this could possibly be. _

"_But…how?"_

"_You don't need to know that now," Mystery Boy told her. "All you need to know is that life is going to change for everyone. You will have your cross to bear, as well as the rest of your group. You need to bear it with bravery, or else I'll never be able to see your world."_

"_Why does everything have to change?" Shion almost yelled, trying to fight back tears of frustration. "I don't understand…why does all this have to happen to me?"_

"_Don't worry. I'll never let you down," the teen reassured her. "Just remember, I love you. Nothing will ever change that." He moved closer to her, and she studied his eyes. She had never before noticed how beautiful they were…dazzling green with a thin ring of blue just around the pupil._

_Before Shion had a chance to react, the green-eyed boy leaned forwards and pressed his lips against her cheek. As he removed them, Shion could only stare, mouth hanging open as he smiled. The smile on his face was tender and sweet, a smile that Shion had seen many times before, the one that could cause her heart to melt with a single glimpse…_

'_That's…that's Allen's smile!' Shion mentally screamed, blinking unbelievingly. The boy nodded, as if he was reading her thoughts._

"_Young one, it is time," Wilhelm commanded, his eyes set like stones._

"_Yes, Raphael," he replied, bowing. "It seems that the moment of truth has come for you, Shion." The teen gave her hand a firm, reassuring squeeze before stepping away from her._

_He took a deep breath and tilted his chin back, closing his eyes. His arms rose above his head in an arc, and an ethereal green glow surrounded his body. Shion watched in wonder and awe as he slowly reopened his eyes. They were glowing brighter than the aura all around him. As if in slow-motion, two great wings of green extended from his back. The eyes of the men behind Shion began to shine as they watched the display before them._

_Shion felt a sensation similar to weightlessness as her surroundings melted to black. Somewhere far off in the distance, she could have sworn that she heard Allen's voice, saying, "I'm so proud of you, Shion."_

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When Shion first awoke, her mind was buzzing. All she knew was that she felt comfortable and safe. Her body was pressed firmly against something soft and warm. Usually, those dreams left her cold and afraid, but this time, it was a whole different story. She didn't bother opening her eyes…she wanted to savor the warmth she was wrapped in.

As lucidity gradually returned to her, she realized where she was. She was sprawled on her futon in Jin's house, spooned together with Allen…both naked, no less. (The author is now subject to bludgeoning. Grab a bat, and please, don't hit too hard!) Her leg was thrown over his waist; foreheads pressed together, his arms holding her close to him by the waist. She could feel his warm breath on her lips, they were so close together. She smiled lazily and stroked his cheek, looking at him through the darkness.

Groaning sleepily, she sat up to check the time, moving tentatively as to not disturb her partner and making sure to keep the blanket around her. She squinted through the darkness to read the holographic red display, eyes still cloudy with sleep. "1:30…" she whispered to herself. They had been asleep for an hour.

The room was unusually silent, and Shion was half-expecting a thunderstorm outside. The only sound was Allen's steady breathing. She took a moment to enjoy the tranquility, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. It seemed that nothing could disrupt the peace…

That was when the pain came.

Shion moaned in agony and held her stomach, leaning forwards. She instinctively considered making a beeline for the bathroom. Then, she stopped…the pain wasn't nausea. If there was any nausea, it was from the sudden and horrible dread she was feeling. This pain…it was more of a severe cramp.

The ache began to come in waves, taking over Shion's whole body. She clenched her jaw and whimpered, trying to fight back tears. She had never felt pain this intense before…not even being touched by a gnosis came close. Her vision swam in and out of focus as the worst pain yet slammed into her like a tidal wave. She grabbed fistfuls of the blanket that was covering the couple, suppressing a cry of agony. She felt alone and afraid…

"Shion?"

At the sound of Allen's groggy voice, the pain stopped abruptly. Shion's head whipped around to see her lover propped up on one elbow, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Why are you up? You okay?" he asked concernedly.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just…cramps," Shion replied, trying to reassure herself more than Allen. His one eyebrow went up as he smirked at her.

"Oh, joy," he said with good-natured sarcasm. "Just try not to bleed on me or anything." Shion had to laugh at him.

"Stop the sarcasm," she said, smiling seductively, "or you'll _never_ have me again."

Allen returned the sexy grin as he slowly traced down her spine with his index finger. "You're a liar." She moaned softly and arched her back.

"And you're an instigator, you know that?" Shion relaxed in his arms again as she closed her eyes. His warm embrace seemed to soothe the pain even more than his voice.One image seemed to stay with her for the rest of the night, even as she slept…

_Those wings…_

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**A/N: Well? How was it? I'm so excited to write this story it's unbelievable. Please, R and R!**

**Chapter 1 is coming soon, and you'll be very surprised by what happens…mwahaha!**


	2. Amor Fati

**Holy wow, I've been waiting to write this chapter since the beginning of DKdL. Speaking of which, I forgot to mention that if you haven't read Die Kraft der Liebe, you probably should do so. –Sweatdrop- **

**Neo: KOS-MOS rox will probably go into violent convulsions at a few points in this chapter, and I'll have to set her straight. **

**Yep, you will! **

**Neo: Nothing in this chapter belongs to KOS-MOS rox, you can trust me on this one.**

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_The First Station: Jesus is condemned to death_

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**Xenosaga Episode III: Lager Unsere Kreuze**

**Chapter 1: Amor Fati**

Second Miltian autumn mornings were usually cool and crisp, with bright sunshine. The rays of sunlight shone through the windows of the traditional Japanese house. Allen lay peacefully asleep on the futon in Shion's bedroom. His blue eyes opened slowly and lazily, a wide smile creeping across his face. He wasn't surprised when he didn't feel Shion beside him; she often woke up before he did.

It was about two weeks into Shion and Allen's three-week vacation, fifteen days to be exact. They had been having a lot of fun…and by "fun" the author means what you think she means. The instant that they had been contacted with the information of their break, they had absolutely _lost _it. The two of them had danced around Jin's kitchen like maniacs, banging on pots and pans with spoons. It was…an almost scary sight.

Jin had returned the two days previous, highly fulfilled with his new occupation. The Second Miltian Regional Hospital had hired him on the spot, in dire need of obstetricians. Needless to say, the samurai was ecstatic. He had gone out with his new colleagues the previous night. The newly-engaged couple couldn't pretend that they were happy he was back. Before he had gotten home, no surface was safe from their _wrath_, if you know what I'm saying. Except for Jin's bed…they were true to their word.

Something that Allen had noticed over the past few days, however, was that Shion had been acting…strange. She had grown extremely moody, and her emotions were as volatile as an unstable molecule. Take two days before Jin returned for example…

_Allen walked through the hallway, yawning and scratching the back of his head, just after waking from an afternoon nap. He stopped and allowed himself a luxurious stretch before heading into the living room. _

_Shion was sitting on the couch, staring at the wall with an anxious look on her face. Allen sat down next to her, silently placing an arm around her shoulders and leaning in towards her, hoping for a kiss. Instead, she sighed in frustration and jerked away from him. Allen tilted his head to the side, hurt._

"_Shion, is something bothering you?" he asked. She closed her eyes and threw her head back against the cushions, clenching her jaw._

"_I don't know," she moaned miserably. "I'm probably just PMS-ing…I'm actually due." She smiled sheepishly at Allen._

"_Oh boy." Allen sighed. Shion giggled and hit him with the pillow resting next to her before pushing him down onto his back. "Whoa, whoa, what are you doing?" he asked, bewildered._

"_I'm sorry about what I did…" She grinned mischievously. "And I'm going to make it up to you now." She leaned in towards him and kissed him, sliding her tongue into his mouth._

"_Are you sure you don't want to relax for a little while?" he groaned as he felt her hands splaying down his chest. His hands instinctively found her hips. "I mean, I don't think we should do this right now."_

"_Mmm…that's what your **mouth** says, but your body disagrees," she informed him, smirking in satisfaction. Allen immediately turned a deep shade of crimson as he realized what she was referring to. Then he got to thinking…Jin would be back in a few days, and they wouldn't have free will like they did now. Needless to say, he allowed her to continue. Hehehehehe._

Also, Jin had informed Allen that she had seemed to be sort of sick. Like yesterday…

_Jin was in the kitchen, wearing his white medical coat and drinking a cup of tea, preparing for his first day on the job. Shion sat nearby at the table, putting butter on a piece of toast and booting up her connection gear. Allen had gone out to the 2nd Division headquarters to help Miyuki with some paperwork, since she couldn't do it herself. Lazy bum._

"_Say, Shion…that toast looks preeeetty tasty…" Jin murmured, sneakily moving has hand towards Shion's breakfast. She snarled and smacked his hand away, giving him a glare that read nothing but death. _

"_That's **my** toast," she growled. Jin gulped and quickly retracted his hand. "You'd better not think about touching it again."_

"_Wasn't going to," he replied. He glanced at her personal data unit, surprised to see details on the KOS-MOS Project displayed on the holographic screen. "You know, Shion, it's beyond me how you can be on vacation for three weeks and still do work. Not many people get the opportunity for a break like that."_

_Shion rolled her eyes at him. "I don't trust Miyuki with KOS-MOS. I'm too afraid that Miyuki will get frustrated and attempt to stab KOS-MOS with something blunt, and then take an R-BLADE to the boob from her or something." Shion cringed at the very thought of it. "I just want to be caught up."_

_Shion brought the slice of toast to her mouth and bit off a piece, chewing it slowly. A grimace crossed her face as a sudden wave of nausea hit her. Quickly, she grabbed a napkin and spat the half-chewed toast into it. _

"_Ohhh…" she moaned, leaning forwards and holding her stomach. Jin hurried over to her, placing his hand on her back._

"_You alright?" he asked concernedly, tilting her chin upwards. Her eyes were squeezed shut in pain, and her face was as white as a ghost._

"_Suddenly I'm not feeling so well," she groaned. "You can have the toast if you want it. I'm going to go lie down for a while…" Shion stood and slowly walked into the hallway, not bothering to shut down the connection gear. Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks, turned on her heel, and took an obviously unplanned pit-stop in the bathroom._

"_Is it possible that…?" Jin wondered aloud, staring into the hallway at the spot where she had just been. "No, it couldn't be."_

_His eyes trailed downwards to the plate of almost untouched toast that Shion had left. He switched off her connection gear before snatching the food. He smiled contentedly and took a bit bite._

"_It's **my** toast now."_

Allen let out a loud yawn. As he rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, he knew that this particular day was very special.

It was his birthday.

It was Saturday, September 21st. That's right, Allen was twenty-five. A quarter of a century. He was especially excited because this year he actually got to celebrate it with people…everyone was coming to Jin's house that night for a dinner of…well, probably curry. Plus, the two of them were going out for brunch with Miyuki and Togashi. Life was good, there was no denying it.

Allen sat up and stretched, surveying the room. No sign of Shion (or Jin, for that matter) ready to pounce on him and scream "_Happy birthday_!" He considered calling her in to fool around for a bit before getting ready to head out to the restaurant.

Then, Allen heard moaning and the flush of a toilet coming from the bathroom. Immediately concerned, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and landed on the floor. Both of his knees cracked simultaneously.

_You really are getting old…_he told himself.

Allen crossed the hallway and quietly pushed half-closed bathroom door open. He was surprised to see Shion on the floor in front of the toilet, sitting back on her haunches. She was breathing heavily, pale green in the face, and sweating.

"Whoa, Shion, are you alright?" he asked, kneeling down beside her and gently rubbing her back.

"Uhnn," she moaned in a sickly voice. "I'm feeling really sick…it must be that goddamned flu that Jr. had while we were helping him and chaos move into the apartment…"Allen raised an eyebrow. He could have sworn that Jr. had faked that flu so that he wouldn't have to do any of the work. He must have actually been sick…

"So I'm guessing that you don't want to go out with Togashi and Miyuki?" Allen asked her, inwardly disappointed.

"I'm just not feeling up to it," said Shion, raising her eyes to meet his and giving him a soft smile. "But I _insist_ that you go. It's your birthday, and I don't want to ruin it." Allen looked at her eyes and noticed that they were bloodshot, as if she had been crying.

"I'm not going to go if you're not," he told her firmly. She pursed her lips and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"If you don't go, I'll beat you up once I'm feeling better."

"Sounds like fun." Allen smirked. Shion slowly got to her feet, being careful not to dizzy herself. Allen also stood. The woman went over to the sink, steadying herself with one hand and splashing cold water on her face with the other.

"Seriously, get dressed. You'll be late. Give the two of them my love and apologies, okay?" she asked him sincerely. Allen let out a heavy sigh. "I know you'll feel guilty…don't. You worry too much! Forget about me."

"If you insist," Allen said. "I just feel bad for Miyuki…she was really looking forward to seeing you."

"Yeah, the last time I saw her was a whole _week_ ago," Shion said sarcastically, turning off the faucet and turning to look at Allen, smiling softly.

"Take it easy, okay? I love you" said Allen, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her forehead. Funny, it didn't feel like she had a fever…

"I love you too," she replied. "Now, _andale_! You'll never make it if you don't leave within a few minutes. I'll be fine; I'm going to lie down on the couch for a while."

Allen gave her a nod before turning to walk out of the bathroom. He stopped in the doorway and peered at her over his shoulder. "You're _sure_?"

"Yes!" Shion rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated groan. "Now get out of here before I kick your ass!" she added, grinning.

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Meanwhile, on the planet Senir, business on the hidden U-TIC base was going on as usual. Commander Margulis and his aide, Pellegri, were overseeing the work from the command station. All around them, soldiers dressed in dark violet uniforms and masks were sitting at terminals and working on the next plot. A few of them, however, seemed to be either sleeping or goofing off.

"Ever wonder why Colonel Sanders up there wears his sword in front of his crotch? Because I have," one soldier whispered to another.

"Remind me to fire them later…" Margulis murmured, rubbing his temples. Pellegri nodded absent-mindedly. The commander sighed. "You're thinking about _him_ again, aren't you? That confrontation at the stronghold?"

"I was not," Pellegri said defensively, turning away from him to hide her face. He had a gift that helped him be able to tell when people were lying to him.

"Then why do you still wear the pendant? Why have you worn it for the past seventeen years?" he asked her smugly. She self-consciously fingered the cross on her necklace as a blush crept across her tan cheeks.

"Commander! Commander Margulis!" an out-of-breath soldier puffed, hustling up to their location. "We have the test results!"

"And!" Margulis asked with a keen and sudden urgency, whipping around to face the worker.

"Positive!" he exclaimed. Then, he collapsed on the floor, trying desperately to catch his breath. Margulis sneered.

"Yes, perfect. Everything is going according to plan."

"What test results?" Pellegri asked Margulis, furrowing her brow. "Why wasn't I briefed on any of this?"

"Because I needed to keep it top-secret until we knew that it was positive," Margulis explained. "But…now I can tell you. Come here." Pellegri moved closer to Margulis, and he leaned over and whispered his plan into her ear…the secret that would push her from him forever.

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Alden Demetrius took a deep breath and looked up into the frigid arctic sky through his goggles as his sled dogs halted. He studied the readings coming from his high-tech sled, checking for anything out of the ordinary. He loved to be out here. It was his life…he was a man of adventure. Always, he would come almost to Keltia's North Pole for expeditions. Just him with his dogs, the way he liked it.

Although he was only at the age of forty-eight, he had many heavy memories from his life. He had belonged to U-TIC for a while, a few years before the Miltian Conflict. Alden was not your average soldier, though; he was an "Unknown". He worked directly with Mizrahi and knew of all the projects, but no record of his membership in the company existed except for in the deepest part of the main database. He had always been safe from attackers. He didn't exist…for then, at least.

Just before the Miltian Conflict, a huge error was found in the database. Security walls could be breached with just a few simple keystrokes. At this rate, any eight-year-old with a modem could access top-secret company information. It was kept quiet, though Alden still quit promptly. He received word later that the database flaw had been fixed. He was safe.

But even quitting the company couldn't erase the things he had learned. The greatest secret of all had been about a certain project that could have destroyed everything within the Miltian star cluster…

The Divine Form.

He knew everything about the project, and the other Unknowns did as well. It had been a hard secret to bear, but he had received wind a few years ago that the subject, Shion Uzuki, had been killed tragically in an accident at Vector Industries Headquarters on Second Miltia. It had been commenced by U-TIC, a clean kill. Now, he refused to listen to anything about the mysterious disaster. It was not his duty to remember, and it was no longer his burden. Or so he thought.

His dogs began whimpering and backing away slowly. "What's wrong, pups?" Alden asked them softly. Suddenly, on the white horizon, a figure caught his eye. Approaching him fast on high-tech skis was what looked to be a teenage boy, with dishwater blonde hair and blue eyes. His skin was pale, and he had a muscular build. His bangs were obscured by snow goggles resting on his forehead.

_What is this?_ Alden wondered, squinting and shielding the watery sun from his eyes with a gloved hand. He moved his own goggles to his forehead to see more clearly. The teen appeared to be wearing a black and blue combat suit, with an assault rifle on his hip. The large firearm instantly made Alden uneasy.

"You!" the boy exclaimed in an average voice. "Alden Demetrius!"

"How do you know my name?" the man asked in an incredulous voice, beginning to sweat. The teenager stood in front of him, looking directly into his eyes.

"Where is the Divine Form?" he demanded, glaring at Alden. His eyes had a fiery rage to them that frankly scared the explorer.

"Wh-what?"

"Don't act like you don't know," the boy snarled. "You worked with Mizrahi, and you know where she is now!"

"She's dead," escaped Alden's mouth in a terrified whisper. How had they found him? There was no possible way! Unless, however, they had acquired the information _before_ the problem with the security walls was fixed…

"Don't lie to me." The slender teen sneered at Demetrius. "She's not dead."

The last thing Alden Demetrius remembered seeing after the attacker reached for his belt were two silver blades coming fast towards his neck. Then everything went black.

The assassin put a hand to his ear, and the tiny communication device automatically came on. "Come in, Genesis. Subject: Alden Demetrius. Kill confirmed. Returning to base. Exodus out."

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Just as Allen walked out the front door, Shion moaned in pain and collapsed on the couch. There was no telling how horrible she felt, but she couldn't let Allen know that. She knew how he got when he worried. She couldn't ruin his birthday like that.

"What the hell is wrong with me? I haven't felt this bad since…" Her voice trailed off. "But…it's impossible that that could ever happen again. There's no chance." She groaned and rested her head on one of the pillows, closing her eyes.

She was still dressed in her pajamas: gray and blue flannel pants and a gray tee shirt. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, since she knew that she was going to be headed for the bathroom again soon. There was no use in having her arm be sore as well from having to hold her hair back.

"Damn you, Jr.!" she yelled miserably. She would kick his ass later on for making her this sick. "I'm sure Jin has some nausea medicine somewhere…" she muttered before slowly getting to her feet and trudging to the bathroom.

She opened the medicine cabinet and rooted around for a few minutes before pulling out a pink bottle of stomach soother. (Yes, they still use Pepto Bismol in the future; throw me a friggin' bone here.) She then grabbed a medicine cup and measured out her dosage before drinking it down. It tasted horribly chalky, but it would surely help the sickne-

_No good!_

Shion fell to the floor in front of the toilet before heaving into it. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she took a few deep breaths, trying to regain her composure. She couldn't possibly have that much left in her stomach…nonetheless, she moaned and retched again. Alternating chills and hot flashes washed over her. Her vision wavered sickeningly. _You know what? I have a better idea. I won't kill Jr…I'll give him this flu again! _Once everything had passed but dry heaves, Shion dizzily got to her feet and brushed her teeth. Her morning was seriously sucking right now.

Shion slogged towards the bedrooms, head pounding in sync with her rapid heartbeat, extremely thankful that Jin's house was all on one level. She did _not_ feel like trekking up and down steps right now. She didn't even want to think about how much her abs were going to hurt the next day from heaving so much.

It seemed that she had not awoken Jin from his slumber. Come to think of it, she hadn't heard Jin come in last night at all. She grimaced in frustration.

_If he got arrested, it's his own damn fault._

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Meanwhile, Allen was just pulling his gray sedan (that hovers…yes, I watched the chase scene in episode two) into a parking space at the restaurant where he was to meet Miyuki and Togashi. He had picked it up at his apartment during the big moving day, when Jr. was sick. Shion was so thankful that he owned a car, because she apparently sold hers before the Woglinde trip. She would get a new one later.

The dining place was small and quiet, the last place he would have _ever_ imagined Miyuki to suggest. He half-expected the place to be a nightclub. That'd be quite a sight, eh?

Inside, Miyuki was sitting next to Togashi, counting the tiles on the ceiling. "...one. That was boring," she said, not taking into consideration that the ceiling was plaster. Togashi sighed, drumming his fingers on the table.

"Where do you think they are?" he asked her.

"Take a chill pill!" Miyuki said, laughing. "They probably just got caught up in a quickie. Hehehe. _Quickie_." Togashi flashed Miyuki an utterly bewildered look. "Oh, you didn't hear?"

"Hear what, exactly?" His face kept the look of "what the crap".

"Oh. Well a few weeks ago, they spent the night together and then got engaged. I thought it was common knowledge!" she informed him in a chipper voice.

"...damn!" he whispered. "That was unexpected! Why can't we go that fast?"

"Hey hey hey," Miyuki scolded him, closing her eyes. "I gave you last night, wasn't that enough?" Togashi blushed.

"Hey guys," Allen said, walking over to the table and sitting down. "Sorry I'm late."

"How's it going, man?" Togashi greeted him, standing and shaking his hand from across the table. "I heard you got hitched with the Chief, not bad!"

Miyuki looked behind Allen, behind herself, and then under the table. "Where's Shion?" she asked slowly, drawing out her words.

"She was really sick to her stomach," the tawny-haired man replied. "That's why I'm late. She told me to give you guys her love, so…" As soon the younger Vector employees heard that she was sick, the obvious cause of her predicament crashed down upon them like Bob Dole campaigning in Chico, California. They exchanged sly looks. "What is it?" Allen asked. "Guys? G-Guys?"

"Uh-oh…" Miyuki sang in a high-pitched voice. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Togashi?"

"I think I am, Miyuki…" the tall man said smugly. Allen gave them a look that read "Allen has no clue what you're talking about."

"What?" Allen demanded. "You'd better tell me!"

"Never mind. Let's just order some food," Togashi snickered, hiding behind the menu as he laughed hysterically.

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Pellegri ran into her quarters on the U-TIC base, silent tears running down her cheeks. She quickly grabbed a few things she could carry and collected them in a bag. "I have to leave," she whispered to herself. "I can't do this!"

Margulis's plan had been ingenious, but so cripplingly evil. Ariande was one thing, but in no way could she let herself live with this…especially when it so closely involved someone that she used to (and still did) feel so much for.

The woman quickly wiped her eyes and checked outside the door. The coast was clear, thankfully. She took that as her chance to run. She knew what the consequences of her actions may be, but she ran anyways. She still had a sense of right and wrong, and this was _wrong_. His plan was something that she could never reveal to anyone now…she would do what she always did in this situation: she would make herself forget.

Pellegri moved quickly from the door of her room, being sure to keep low. She didn't need to be seen now, now that she was so close to escaping. All that remained were the guards at the double-door entrance, and she was home-free. Margulis would never track her down if she was able to stay at the place she had in mind.

She walked casually up to the guard, who was for some reason not wearing his mask. He probably couldn't breathe in it. This guard definitely did _not_ look like a U-TIC type. He had bright orange freckles and hair the same color. Actually, he looked fresh out of high school. Pellegri inwardly growled at the person who was stupid enough to hire him as a guard.

"Oh! Ms. Pellegri!" he squeaked. "Where are you goin-"

_Pow_!

Fist connected with cheek and the redhead guard fell to the floor, unconscious. Pellegri was marveled at her own strength…Margulis had always told her that she depended on him for survival. _Yeah, right_, she thought to herself.

Pellegri grabbed fistfuls of the guard's clothing and grunted as she tossed him into a nearby empty room. She stood still for a few moments, regaining her composure. Just one guard left, she kept telling herself. But she had a feeling that this one wasn't going to be quite as easy.

She walked briskly through the first set of doors, which the juvenile soldier was keeping watch at. Narrowing her eyes through the darkness of this particular chamber, she peered to the second guard. Her hope deflated instantly, for it seemed that this guard was a senior in the ranks. This one _was_ wearing a mask, so she could not tell who it was. "Damn," she muttered under her breath. For a few seconds, she tried to think of a plan on what to do. Then, it hit her. The perfect lie.

"You there!" Pellegri yelled. The guard quickly turned.

"Me?"

"Yes, you!" Pellegri strode towards him. "Margulis wishes to see you. He sent me to fetch you just now," she said in an official tone.

"Are you sure?" the man clad in the violet uniform asked in a deep voice. Pellegri sighed in frustration.

"I'm directly following orders from our commander and you as me if I'm _sure_?" she said in a stern, angry voice. "I suggest you get your ass to the command center or we'll both lose our jobs! Now, _move_!"

"Y-Yes ma'am!" stammered the guard, frankly scared by her outburst. He broke into a jog as he ran through the set of doors through which Pellegri had just come. She heard him in the distance, saying, "Jimmy, where did you go? What am I going to do with that boy?" _Like taking candy from a baby_, she thought bitterly.

Pellegri took a deep breath as she gazed at the thick, sturdy door lying before her. She slowly pushed it open, and sunlight flooded into the darkened chamber, and she looked into it with courage. Something about the brightness was so alluring, and she wanted to be a part of it. Oftentimes she would feel the same way when she was doing Margulis's bidding; as the darkness consumed her, she would pretend she was burning bright.

Her hand instinctively went to her cross pendant, making her strong and ready. The necklace had been her source of strength for all of these years when she had been separated from her love. She stepped out of the dark life she had been living and into the Senirian sunlight. In her mind, she saw someone smiling at her:

_Jin…_

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Shion fell onto the couch and rested her head on a pillow, wrapping the comforter she had taken off of her bed around her. Her mother always used to say that a sheet on the couch could cure any illness, and Shion had gone with the next best thing. She definitely did not feel well enough to painstakingly remove the sheet from her futon. The memory of her mother made her feel a bit better as she slowly felt herself drifting off to sleep.

Suddenly, she heard the front door open, interrupting her half-asleep daze. She sat up, expecting Allen to have returned early because of the guilt. Instead, she was greeted by the image of her brother. Oddly enough, there was a top hat perched on his head. Shion didn't even _want_ to think about where that may have come from. She stared in complete and utter bewilderment.

"I'm home," Jin called. "Sorry I'm late, but- Shion, are you alright?" he asked as he saw her on the couch. She looked awful…pale and bedraggled, with bloodshot eyes.

"No," she replied miserably. "I feel horrible. My stomach and head hurt so much…"

"Hm. Are you sure you're not hung over? You and Allen were hitting the champagne pretty hard last night," he suggested, shrugging. Shion sighed and rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"Jin, Allen and I didn't drink last night!" she exclaimed. "You're probably thinking of yourself!"

"…oh," Jin said, tilting his head to the side. "That would probably explain this, then." He took the top hat off of his head and looked at it for a moment, then nonchalantly chucked it across the room. Shion held her stomach and groaned again as the wheels of the obstetrician's mind began to turn.

"I just don't know what could possibly be wrong with me," Shion moaned, sinking back against the cushions. Jin brought a hand to his chin and spoke in an official manner.

"Shion…now, if you don't mine me asking," Jin began, "has your…_Sunday Bloody Sunday_…come yet?"

"What!" Shion asked, totally and completely appalled. "Why would I tell _you_ that?"

"Please, Shion, I'm a doctor."

"…fine. No," she replied grudgingly.

"When was it due?" Jin prodded.

"Two days ago," his sister responded sheepishly. Jin's eye twitched. "No, Jin! I'm not pregnant, it could never be that!" she yelled defensively, standing in front of him. Immediately she became dizzy, and Jin quickly supported her.

"Then can you explain how irritable you've been lately?" Jin asked coolly.

"_I haven't been irritable_!" Shion spat. Jin winced at the shrill pitch of her voice.

"I rest my case."

"I'm _not_ pregnant!"

"All signs point to yes, though. I wish you would've listened to me earlier before you decided to go unprotected," he upbraided her. "I'd feel better if you took a test. Come with me." Shion sighed and followed him into the kitchen, where he produced a thin package covered in shiny silver foil from his medical bag. She grimaced at the sight of it. "In the bathroom, now. Move it, girlie."

_Is he **serious**? _Shion shot him a glare and snatched the test from his hand. "You'll be sorry you wasted this when it comes up negative," she grumbled. Yet, deep inside, she became worried. She had an odd feeling that the result of the test wouldn't be as she expected it. She growled menacingly and stomped off into the bathroom.

"You know how to do it, right, Shion? You hold it under the stream of-"

"_I know how to do it!_" his sister spat in a shrill tone.

Jin smirked in satisfaction. He sang to himself in a whisper, "I was right, I was right, I was right…"

A few moments later, Shion emerged from the bathroom and thrust the narrow device towards Jin. "I don't want to touch it!" Jin said, moving his hands away from it. He handed her a saucer and a teacup. "You must keep it covered for a minute and a half. Put it under the teacup." Shion did so. Both of them sat and stared at the upside-down mug.

"You know, let's agree never to use that saucer again," she commented wryly. Jin nodded in agreement. Both of them waited with bated breath as almost half a minute passed.

"Eighty-five, eighty-six," Jin counted slowly. He sighed in anticipation. "Eighty-seveneighty-eighteighty-nineninety!" he said in one breath, obviously not giving each number its appropriate time duration. He picked up the teacup and held the stick test between two fingers, peering intently at it.

"Well?" Shion asked impatiently, not being able to wait until he dropped this whole suspicion. Jin gave her an unreadable look.

"See for yourself. See what the digital readout says?" he asked as calmly as possible, handing it to her. As she looked at it, she felt the world crashing down around her.

"No…" she whispered almost inaudibly. There, in letters on the LCD screen, read the word she never wanted to see: "Positive".

Shion was pregnant.

She felt light-headed, something not brought on by the nausea…or was it morning sickness? Shion didn't even know what to think anymore. "I am going to _kill_ your fiancée," Jin growled through a clenched jaw, trying in vain to contain his anger. Shion immediately panicked.

"No! Don't think that it's right just yet," she exclaimed frantically, scrambling to her feet. "What's the percent of correct results?" She grabbed Jin's bag and began rummaging through it before pulling out the box from which he had retrieved the test. Apparently, as it said on the front, it was correct 99.998 percent of the time. It must have been developed by KOS-MOS…okay, bad pun and a bad place for humor. Sorry.

Tears began running down Shion's cheeks, but she quickly wiped them away. She didn't want Jin to see her like this. _This…this wasn't supposed to happen…_ she thought to herself. _Never again…_

"How could this have happened?" she sniffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Jin tilted his head to the side and took a deep breath.

"Well, Shion, I think it's quite obvious how it happened," he replied smartly and angrily. "I think you and I should have a little talk."

"Jin, you're not making this any easier!" Shion yelled, trying to hold back another wave of tears. "This is bad, what am I going to do?" she asked Jin almost hysterically.

"You're having that baby," he told her firmly. "And you're telling Allen as soon as he gets home." Shion whimpered.

"What if…what if he leaves me, though?" she asked in barely a whisper. Jin made a patronizing clicking sound with his tongue.

"I don't think that Allen would _ever_ do that to you. He's a great guy," he told her, trying even harder to suppress his anger. "But you still need to tell him as soon as possible about the baby. Give me his cell phone number." Shion sighed in defeat and sadly gave Jin a sequence of numbers at which to reach her fiancée…and the father of her baby.

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Back at the restaurant, brunch had just arrived. Allen smiled and hungrily dug into his omelet with a fork. Miyuki suddenly stopped eating and gasped, chestnut eyes widening.

"What is it?" Togashi asked her, looking up expectantly from his meal. Miyuki was just staring at Allen, terrified.

"He's not wearing his uniform," she said in an entranced tone. "That's _blasphemy_!" Togashi and Allen raised their eyebrows at her.

"Neither am I," the younger man said slowly. Miyuki studied him head to foot, and it registered in her mind that he was wearing a dark green polo shirt and knee-length cargo shorts. "And…hate to say it, but neither are _you_." The clueless woman looked down at herself, seeing an outfit extremely similar to Shion's. Her shirt was blue, though.

"_Whoa_," she said incredulously. "It's hard to believe that we actually have a life outside of Vector, eh? I mean…you and Shion, Togashi and I...we'll all have inbred children!" _Some sooner than others…_ she added silently, smirking.

Togashi and Allen facepalmed.

Suddenly, Allen's pocket began vibrating. "Havin' some problems there, Allen?" Togashi asked, grinning. Allen shook his head as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. As he read the number, he grew worried. Shion was calling him.

"Hello?" he asked nervously, holding it to his ear. Instead of Shion's voice, the deep and angry-sounding voice of Jin boomed through the receiver.

"_You had better be home within ten minutes, or I'll stab you,_" the samurai warned gravely. "_I'll stab you so much that…that…that you wish I would have never stabbed you!_" Then, the call disconnected. Jin had hung up. Allen slowly looked back up at the puzzled couple awaiting him to speak.

"Errr… I have to go now," he said in a squeaky voice, standing from his seat. "My brother-in-law to be wants to kill me, I think…"

"It's cool, we understand," Togashi said, not being able to help a smile spreading across his face. "Happy birthday!"

"Yeah, go and make sure that Shion's okay!" Miyuki chirped, the same smile plastered goofily on her countenance.

"…yeah," Allen said, turning over his shoulder. "I'll talk to you guys later. Thanks so much for the meal!" With that, he walked briskly out of the dining room, almost knocking down a waitress on the way. Togashi and Miyuki stared at the spot where he had just been for a few moments. Then, they turned to face each other, mouths pulled taut against their features.

"She's pregnant, isn't she?" Togashi said, snickering.

"Oh yeah," Miyuki replied. "…I want his omelet." She picked up her fork and skewered Allen's meal.

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Allen had broken the speed limit and, very nearly, the sound barrier as he sped back to Jin's house. Normally, Shion's brother wouldn't get aggressive, but when he did…let's just say that you didn't want to be on his bad side.

He ran up to the front door of the house and opened it, stumbling inside. Shion and Jin were sitting in the living room, obviously waiting for him. The look on his fiancée's face was one of fear and sadness, and Jin…Jin looked as if he would go _ballistic_ at any moment. He was fingering his sword, jaw taut, eyeballs bugging out of their sockets. Allen gulped.

"Allen…" Shion half-whimpered. Then, she felt a wall crumble inside of her. She burst into tears, trembling in her seat on the couch. Allen's heart fell and he over to her.

"Shion, are you alright?" he asked, genuine concern filling his crystalline blue eyes. She stood in front of him, falling into his protective embrace. "What's wrong, why are you crying?" he gently wiped away her tears with his thumb.

"Allen, something has happened…" she sniffed. "And…and I don't know how I'll be able to handle it!" She began to cry again, pressing her face into his chest. He brought his hand to the back of her head, gently stroking her hair.

"What is it?" Allen tilted her chin upwards to look into her eyes. "You can tell me anything. I promise." Shion avoided his gaze, looking down at the floor.

"I'm…I'm…" she tried to say through the sobs. Allen waited for her to finish. "…pregnant."

Allen's mouth fell open. Of all the things it could have been…he wasn't expecting _this_. Shion held her breath, waiting for his response. A few tortured seconds later, he finally spoke:

"Shion…" he started, speaking in awe. "That's _wonderful_!" A huge, proud smile spread across his face as he hugged her as tightly as he could. The tears stopped as Shion raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're…not upset?" she wondered aloud, pulling her from his suffocating embrace. "You're not going to leave me?"

"Of course I'd never leave you!" he exclaimed. He took her left hand in his and kissed it, running the index finger of his free hand over the diamond and emerald side-stones (that KOS-MOS rox forgot to mention, shut up) of her engagement ring. "You see this? This means that we're in this together forever, the good _and_ the bad. And this is definitely one of the good!"

"So you're _excited_?" she half-laughed, completely taken aback.

"Hell yes! I've always wanted to have a child," he replied, grinning. "This is…the best birthday gift you could have ever given me!" Shion smiled through the tears and laughed. Why had she reacted so badly to this? She had Allen now, and everything would be okay. The couple smiled even more as they kissed, thinking about the new life they created.

Allen got down on one knee and loosely wrapped his arms around her midsection, talking to her stomach. "Hey, baby," he cooed. "This is unbelievable!" He looked back up at Shion as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Oh Allen," Jin interrupted in a singsong voice. Allen slowly stood and faced him, gulping. The older man grinned from ear to ear. "Come give me a hug." Allen let out a sigh of relief as he and Jin embraced in a brotherly manner.

"S-So you're not going to kill me, are you?" Allen asked timidly, breaking away from his future brother-in-law. Jin tilted his head to the side in a cocky manner.

"Now, I never said _that_, did I?" he added nonchalantly. The color drained from Allen's face.

Shion suddenly moaned, sitting back down on the couch and holding her head in her hands. "Are you alright?" her fiancée asked her.

"Just…" she started, smiling. "Morning sickness, I guess. Damn, that sounds strange to say. I should probably go back to bed for a while before the others arrive."

"And I'll carry you." Allen smiled. "After all, you're walking for _two_ now." Shion giggled as Allen picked her up and carried her off towards their bedroom.

He entered the darkened room and laid her gently on the bed, and she let out a small noise of appreciation. She smiled and closed her eyes as he stroked her cheek gently. He stood to leave, but she caught his hand in hers.

"Stay with me…with _us_," she whispered, not bothering to open her eyes. Allen felt his heart skip a beat as she referred to the baby. He hardly believed that he was _engaged _to Shion…the thought of them having a baby was almost overwhelming.

"Of course," Allen replied, joining her, inexpressible love and passion filling the room. He rested his head on the pillow and wrapped his arms around Shion, her back pressed against his chest. He put a protective hand over her stomach, and she rested her hand on his. They both fell asleep with smiles frozen on their faces, at complete peace.

Jin stood silently outside the door to Shion's bedroom, watching them with a soft smile. _They're going to be fine_, he mused. With one last proud glance at the couple, he slid the door to the room shut.

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**-Falls over, anime style- Whew! Man, that took a while! ...HAHA she's preggers! And Pellegri's leaving U-TIC! And some minor character is dead! And Miyuki likes omelets!**

**Andale is Spanish for "hurry up", just to clear that up. **

**Until next time, this is KOS-MOS rox, signing off!**

**By the way, I'm sorry about the top hat. I'd been planning that for a long, _long_ time, and I couldn't bear not using it. Hehe!**


	3. Arms Wide Open pt 1

**I'm particularly enthused with this chapter for one reason: Jr. makes his big return! Hehe, you could only _imagine_ what I'm going to do with this.**

**Neo: …Even I've gotta admit that it's funny.**

**-Squee!- Thankies baby!**

**Neo: I shouldn't have done that. Anyways, KOS-MOS rox doesn't own anything in this chapter.**

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

_The Second Station: Jesus carries His cross_

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**Xenosaga Episode III: Lager Unsere Kreuze**

**Chapter 2: Arms Wide Open (pt. 1)**

_The sound of waves crashing onto the shore filled her ears as she looked into her lover's eyes. The color of them was the same as the ocean, tranquil and blue, filled with love. She sighed and rested her soft curves against his more masculine form. Then, she saw something glimmer on his left ring finger. Studying it closer, she realized that it was a golden band. She quickly looked at her own hand, seeing not only the engagement ring, but a wedding ring. _

_They kissed as the sound of the tide welled up again, and she felt him gently place his hand on her belly. Beneath her clothes, her belly swelled with the life now inside of her. Holding her breath in awe, Shion could feel the baby stirring, the new and precious life the shared love between her and her husband had brought into being. Allen smiled and kissed her again. He laced his fingers through Shion's and she closed her eyes, savoring the moment. Everything was peaceful and serene, and nothing could destroy what they were feeling right now._

_Yet, thought it all, Shion couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching them from not so far away…_

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Shion's emerald eyes opened slowly as she found herself back in her bedroom. She sat up in the darkness, stretching and yawning. Looking down, she saw that her stomach was still virtually flat and there was no band on her finger. "Strange, that felt so real…" she whispered to herself. "I could even see color…" Normally in her dreams, everything was in monochrome, except for the people she saw. In this one, every color was as sharp as real life.

Sighing and rubbing her eyes, she noticed that her headache and nausea were gone. She glanced at the clock and let out a sarcastic laugh. It read exactly noon. _I guess the baby takes the meaning of "morning sickness" quite literally_, she thought.

She slowly got to her feet, feeling joy swell in her chest when she didn't immediately feel like she had to vomit. As a matter of fact, she was hungry. _Wonder if Allen took it upon himself to make me lunch…_ she mentally laughed, knowing full well that Allen had woken from their nap about thirty minutes earlier.

She walked into the kitchen, shaking her head disdainfully as she saw Jin and Allen sitting at the table. Jin was leaning forward in his seat, glaring angrily at the younger man, who was frozen wide-eyed like a deer caught in a headlight. Walking over to her fiancée, she stood behind him and loosely wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing the top of his head.

"So how long have you two been sitting like this?" she asked, giggling.

"Since I woke up," Allen replied, trying not to move his mouth. "I think that if I don't make any sudden moves, he won't attack…" Jin's eyes only narrowed more.

"I think that now would be a good time for the _three_ of us to discuss this baby," Jin said, not removing his icy stare from Allen. Shion's stomach growled audibly, and she grimaced.

"Can't I get something to eat first?" she whined.

"No," Jin said firmly, the glare fading from his face. "Just because this was unplanned doesn't mean that you don't _make_ a plan."

"Fine," Shion said grudgingly, sitting down next to Allen. He laced his fingers through hers, smiling at her. She couldn't help but smile back.

"Now," Jin began, resting his elbows in the table and leaning towards them. "What are you going to do about money?"

"…Lost Jerusalem to Jin?" Shion said, raising her eyebrows at him. "We're the Chief and Vice-Chief of Vector's first Research and Development Division. I think we're alright on cash."

"Yeah," Allen chimed in. "Besides, I have money put away. Living as a bachelor for so long did me well."

"Okay, so you guys have a plan for you money. Good." Jin cleared his throat. "What if Shion stops working to take care of the baby? Then what?"

"Then as vice-chief, I'd take her place as chief," replied Allen. Shion nodded.

"And…what about a home?" Jin continued.

"We'll start looking for a house right after we get married," his sister answered.

"You two are more competent than I expected," Jin remarked wryly, smirking. "But…one thing's been bothering me. Shion, how did you get…pre-pregn-" He paused, shuddering, unable to correctly form the word, "pregnant…while you were on the pill?" Shion laughed nervously and blushed.

"Well, Jin…" she started, "I kinda…stopped taking it after I got into Vector." Jin's face froze and he stared at her. Slowly, he got to his feet.

"I'm off to my bedroom to cry for a bit," he announced, walking slowly to his room. Allen's shoulders began to shake and Shion looked at him in alarm, thinking he was crying. She then smiled and rolled her eyes when she realized that he was trying to hold back hysterical laughter. Then, she sighed again, eyes falling to the table. She had to let him know sooner or later…

"What's wrong, Shion?" he asked, putting his arm around her. "This isn't a mood swing, is it? If it is, I'm running _now_." She raised her eyes to meet his, smiling sadly.

"Allen…you knew that Kevin and I were engaged, right?" she began, looking up at him.

"Of course," he replied. "The entire first division was in an uproar." A sarcastic smile formed on Shion's face.

"Well…you don't know the real reason." Allen furrowed his brow at her, confused. Shion sighed, not wanting to say what she was about to. She hadn't brought up this topic in years, and the memories it brought back were horrible. "Allen, I was pregnant. We didn't tell anyone for fear of us both being fired. Instead, he promptly proposed and I accepted. To this very day, you're the only one I've ever told."

"W-wow," Allen said, completely taken aback. "That's a real shocker…"

"Isn't it?" Shion paused. "At first, Kevin was extremely freaked out about it, but he eventually came around. He actually became ecstatic about it, and immediately wanted to know if it was a boy or a girl. So, we went to the doctor to find out. We were going to have a baby girl," she continued, now trying to hold back tears. "We decided to name her Dinah. Kevin was so excited that he named KOS-MOS's transport after her."

"So…what happened?" Allen asked gently.

"I got a terrible viral infection with a high fever, and we ended up losing the baby." Shion sniffed, quickly wiping away a tear that had spilled from her eye. "Then, not four months later, I lost Kevin too. You see, that's why I was so afraid of being pregnant."

"I understand completely," said her fiancée, embracing her. "I know how much that must have hurt. But I promise, nothing like that will ever happen again. I'll do my best to protect you and our baby."

"I know." Shion smiled. "I can always depend on you."

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_Flower petals floated about majestically, caught in the wind. Long black hair was also caught in the draft, and the young woman smoothed it down with her hand. Bright, beautiful blue eyes scanned the horizon. A vast, flower-filled field met her gaze. _

_Standing a few strides behind her were young twin boys. They looked to be no older than five. Each of them had milky white hair, but although they were almost identical, there was one big difference. One boy had peaceful blue eyes as clear as the sky above, and the other had fiery, determined claret eyes._

"_Raph," the little one with cerulean eyes said, pointing at the woman in front of them. "She's pretty, isn't she?" The other boy folded his arms and looked at the ground, unimpressed._

"_Hhmph. Girls are yucky," he said, knitting his brow._

_Hearing their conversation, the girl turned to face them, smiling. "You guys are too funny." Yeshua watched, entranced, as she turned her back to them again, slowly inhaling the sweet aroma in the air…_

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chaos awoke with a snort, his peaceful nap on the couch disrupted by the high-pitched ringing of the holophone. It's the worst feeling to be wakened up by a phone, isn't it? Well, not as bad as being wakened by a pack of hungry bears or pumas, but I'm rambling.

"The phone's ringing!" Jr. announced, quite unnecessarily, from his bedroom. Yawning and clearing his throat, chaos hopped off of the couch and hurried over to the chair in front of the desk that held the device. He pressed the button, and a holograph screen popped up, bearing Shion's smiling face.

"Hey Shion," chaos said cheerily, smiling back. "How are you?"

"_I'm…great, thanks,_" she replied. "_Just wanted to make sure that you guys were coming tonight. Six o'clock, remember?_"

"Yeah, we know," chaos said. Suddenly, Allen ran behind Shion, terrified by something. A second later, Jin also sprinted behind her, bearing his sword and, oddly enough, a carton of milk.

"_Aagh! I thought you were okay with this!_" Allen's voice cried from somewhere in the house.

"_Jin, if you do so much as touch him I'll beat your ass down!_" Shion half-screamed. "_Sorry, something's happened that you'll find out tonight,_" she informed chaos politely.

"A surprise, I see?" chaos asked, smiling. Shion nodded. Jr. emerged from his room, wearing his black jeans and striped sweater, still intent on reading a book that was open in his hand. Suddenly, the familiar image of the female scientist caught his eye.

"Homigod, I know you!" Jr. exclaimed his greeting, pointing spastically at Shion.

"_I know you too!_" Shion replied. Jr. set down his reading material and stood behind chaos, propping his elbows on the back of the chair.

"How've you lovebirds and Jin been lately?" he asked with the trademark cocky grin.

"_We've been really good_," she responded. Suddenly, Allen ran up behind her, frantically looking at her.

"_You've gotta help me, he's going to kill me!_" he begged. Jin entered the shot and waved at chaos and Jr. before dragging Allen off-screen again. The younger man whimpered.

"_I mean it Jin, I can kill you!_"

"Hehe, Jin finally regretting his allowing Allen to move in?" the U.R.T.V. commented. Shion rolled her eyes.

"We'll be there at six," chaos said. Jr. nodded briskly.

"I'm looking forward to seeing Momo again. I called her a few days ago, and she said that she loved living with Juli so far," he said.

"_That's good…I was just about to call them,_"Shion said. "_Do me a favor and give Gaignun and Albedo a call so that we can start getting ready._"

"No problem," chaos said. "Well, we'll see you guys lat-"

chaos's voice trailed off as they saw Jin run back on screen and tilt Shion's head backwards, pouring the contents of the milk carton down her throat. She choked and sputtered, trying to break out of his grip.

"_I think you should start drinking more milk now, Shion_," he said. Shion elbowed him hard in the ribcage, knocking him away.

"_Jin, are you just **trying** to make me sick again?" _she snarled, wiping her mouth. The holographic screen disappeared as the call disconnected.

Jr. rubbed his cleanly-shaven chin thoughtfully as chaos turned to look at him. "Hmm…Shion is the same person, yet she seems…different, somehow," he mused. There's a strange glow about her, her chestular region seems to have grown, and lastly, Jin is basically force-feeding her dairy products." He paused, coming to the obvious conclusion. "Those _damn_ character designers!" he snarled. chaos shook his head slowly.

The teen had to admit, living with Jr. had been an adventure so far. Every day, it was something different; debating the theological issues raised by The Da Vinci Code with the curtains, trying to tackle chaos whenever he turned a corner…never a dull moment. Allen's apartment wasn't too shabby, either: two bedrooms (which chaos wondered why he had a second one), a small kitchen, and a small living room.

"So what have you been up to?" chaos asked him. Jr. shrugged nonchalantly.

"I was reading for a while, then I started going over my bedroom with this blacklight I found in the closet," he said, retrieving said blacklight from his room. "Just wanna make sure Allen didn't leave anything behind, we'll say."

"Find anything?" chaos asked reluctantly, not wanting to know what the answer would be.

"Not in the room. But check this out!" Jr. grinned from ear to ear and shone the light on himself. Small, ultraviolet splotches appeared all over his body. "_Look_, I'm an inverted _dalmation_!" chaos slowly turned his head to face away from Jr.

"I don't even _want_ to know what that is."

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Juli's home was _nothing_ as Momo expected it to be. It was small, quaint, and quiet, in a more remote area of Fifth Jerusalem. Since she moved in two weeks ago, she truly felt at home. She finally had a real room, a real bed that was all her own. But most of all…she finally had a true mother.

She sat on the sofa, silently reflecting on her decision that she made earlier that day. The entire Vector third division had begged and pleaded for her to come in so they could run tests. With her help, they could create more advanced Realians. She had happily agreed.

Suddenly, Juli's connection gear began to vibrate, making a horrible buzzing sound against the coffee table. Momo snapped from her daydream and quickly picked it up. "I've got it, Mom!" she exclaimed.

"Okay," Juli replied from the kitchen. Momo pressed the button for the video communication, and the small square screen materialized just above it.

"Hi Shion!" the woman exclaimed enthusiastically. "…and Allen," she added, eyeing the man who was hiding behind Shion. He shushed her harshly.

"_Hi, Momo,_" Shion replied, laughing and shaking her head. "_Allen's hiding from my brother. Jin's in a…very bad mood right now._"

"_**WHERE'S ALLEN?"**_Jin's voice boomed from somewhere off-screen. Allen's eyes widened.

"_Relax_," the green-eyed woman told her fiancée. She turned to face Momo once again. "_You, your mother, and Ziggy are coming over tonight, right? Six o'clock._" She stumbled over the word "mother"…it had a whole new meaning to her now.

"Of course!" Momo replied happily. Juli walked into the living room, sitting beside Momo on the couch.

"Hello," she said, smiling.

"_Hello Doctor Mizrahi_," Shion greeted. Allen waved from his awkward position. Juli raised an eyebrow.

"Don't ask," Momo whispered to her.

"Please, call me Juli," the older woman told Shion. "Being called 'Doctor' makes me feel old."

"_Ah, point taken._" Shion nodded. "_Remind me to call Jin 'Doctor' later…_" she added aside to Allen. Momo giggled.

"Is anything new with you guys?" the pink-haired woman asked the couple. Shion and Allen exchanged uneasy glances.

"_Well…yes,_" Shion replied honestly, smiling nervously and blushing. "_But, you'll have to wait until we tell everyone tonight. Nobody else knows yet, so we're not leaving you out in the dark or anything._" Juli narrowed her eyes in thought.

"I can't wait to find out," said Momo. "Well, I'm sure you guys are pretty busy getting ready and all. We'll see you later tonight!" Juli nodded.

"_Looking forward to seeing you all again. Bye!_" The holographic screen folded and disappeared. Momo placed it on the table and looked at Juli, who was lost in thought with a concerned look on her face.

"Uh-oh…" she said in a singsong voice. Momo tilted her head to the side, confused.

"What's wrong?"

"Call it women's intuition, but I think I know their secret."

"Ooh, tell me!" Momo said energetically. Her mother closed her eyes and shook her head, chuckling.

"Could you not tell by how she looked?" Juli said. "By her glow, by how much she was smiling? By how Jin is out for Allen's blood?" Momo's mind raced for an answer, but one never occurred to her. _Of course nobody else would know…I'm the only one who has gone through that before, _Juli realized.

"Well…I guess I'll just have to wait until tonight to find out," said the younger woman, slightly disappointed, before she walked off to her room to get ready. Juli remained seated, and her hand rested concernedly upon her chin.

_Oh my…what are Shion and Allen going to do?_

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Citrene walked through the labyrinth of hallways that was Hyams Industries Headquarters. She put a hand on her rounded stomach, closing her eyes. _Five months down, four to go_.

Suddenly, the device on her hip began to vibrate. She was receiving a message. As she read it, a smile of gratification instantly spread across her face. The message was short, simple, and exactly what she wanted to see:

SUBJECT: ALDEN DEMETRIUS – TERMINATED.

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**Mwahahaha! –Dances- Short chapter because I wanted to be able to post it quickly. Summer break is finally here! Oooh I'm so excited.**

**How will the others react to Shion and Allen's news? Hehe.**

**Until next time, this is KOS-MOS rox, signing off!**


	4. Arms Wide Open pt 2

**Okay, before we start this chapter, I've had some divine revelations. I've been spelling Citrine's name wrong this whole time. I'm a freakin' idiot, I'm sorry. Also, given the information we've received about the true episode 3, Heinlein is _not_ behind U-TIC and Ormus in this story, rather, he is against them.**

**Neo: Not only is she an idiot, but she doesn't own Xenosaga either.**

**T.T**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Xenosaga Episode III: Lager Unsere Kreuze**

**Chapter 3: Arms Wide Open (pt. 2)**

The crisp Second Miltian night sky was broken by the strident cries of a certain raspy-voiced individual.

"_Dun dun DUN DUN DUN dun DUN DUN! Danana…danana…danana…da na!"_

Jr. tore along the pathway to Jin's front door, dropping to the ground and pulling out a gun while continuing to hum the Mission Impossible theme song. chaos slowly shook his head and stepped over him to the door.

"Subtle," he murmured disdainfully. The U.R.T.V. got to his feet and brushed himself off, grinning.

"I was trying to give the writer's block-stricken KOS-MOS rox a cool opening for this chapter," he explained. "I thought humming would be humorous and pertinent." chaos chuckled and knocked on Jin's door. Jr. stood beside him.

"The pizza is here, _yes_!" chaos heard Shion cry excitedly. She opened the door, looking over her shoulder at Allen and Jin. "I've been craving the anchovies since a few hours ago and-"

"Hate to burst your bubble, but we're not pizza," Jr. said, interrupting her joyful outburst. "Although it would be pretty cool if we were! We could eat ourselves! Hey, do you think that would be considered mastur-" chaos quickly clamped a hand over the U.R.T.V.'s mouth to keep this story rated T.

"Err…sorry for the outburst, I just _really_ want pizza," Shion said, blushing.

"Any particular reason?" chaos asked. Shion shot Allen a nervous glance. Jr. tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at her.

"…not in particular," she finally stammered. "Come in!" she exclaimed, trying to change the subject. chaos and Jr. shrugged and stepped into the house, slipping off their shoes first.

"Happy birthday!" Jr. screeched, throwing himself at Allen. The younger man instinctively threw up his hands to fend off a blow, but instead, Jr. whipped out a card from his pocket. Grinning, he handed it to Allen.

"Oh. Thanks," Allen said, smiling politely.

"Jr. drew the pictures himself," chaos murmured almost disdainfully. Jr. nodded proudly like a little child.

Studying chaos, Shion immediately noticed that he was wearing a new outfit. His one-piece combat suit was replaced by his old orange and blue vest with the black skintight shirt. He wore light khaki cargo pants with boots, and his gloves adorned his hands as usual. "You look different when you're not in that suit," she commented.

"Oh, does it look bad on me?" chaos asked.

"No, you look good!" She nodded. A long pause ensued as they looked at each other, eyes narrowed in deep thought.

"…we've been through this before, haven't we?" the teen said, tilting his head to the side.

"I seem to vaguely recall something…" Shion replied, putting a hand on her chin.

"Beer's here!" a voice exclaimed from outside. Allen opened the door revealing a grinning Albedo and a loaded down by four six-packs Gaignun.

"Hey there, brothers!" Jr. exclaimed, saluting them. Albedo returned the gesture. Gaignun attempted to, until he remembered he was carrying the beer. Instead, he just sighed.

"You can bring the drinks into the dining room," Jin offered to Gaignun. The U.R.T.V. nodded politely and followed the samurai.

"I was wondering, Albedo, how have the people of the Kukai Foundation taken your sudden arrival?" Allen asked curiously.

"Helmer helped us to start this whole scandalous story that I'm an illegitimate son of Soze Kukai and just happened to be Gaignun's friend," he explained.

"Makes sense," chaos said. Shion nodded. A moment later, Gaignun and Jin returned. The younger pulled a card from his breast pocket and handed it to Allen.

"How are Mary and Shelley?" Shion inquired.

"Hehe, they're _just fine_," Albedo replied. Jr. snickered as Gaignun rolled his eyes.

"They were sorry they couldn't make it tonight," the Kukai Foundation chairman said. "They're just so busy with the Zohar and isolation teams that they couldn't get a moment's peace. They send Allen birthday wishes."

"Tell them I said thank you." Gaignun nodded at Allen.

"Where's Momo and them?" Jr. asked in a suddenly bored voice, tapping his foot impatiently and crossing his arms. Everyone shrugged.

"Happy birthday, Allen!" the woman's chipper voice exclaimed as if on cue. Jr. turned excitedly to see Momo standing in the doorway next to Juli, Ziggy close behind them. "Sorry we're late!"

"It's quite alright," Jin said. "The pizza isn't even here yet." Shion let out a sigh of disappointment.

"So Zig-meister," Jr. said nonchalantly, putting his hands behind his head. "Scored with any of the chicks on the Durandal yet? Rumor has it that they think you're quite a piece of sexy man."

Ziggy shook his head slowly as Juli laughed, handing Allen yet another card. "Oh, that's right. No manbits." The U.R.T.V. snickered at the cyborg's expense.

"Yo, I got some pizzas here for the…Uzuki household?" a casual, feminine voice came from the open door. The tall, thin teenage delivery girl was leaning on the side of the door, knocking on the wall beside it. Her hair, as red as Jr.'s, was pulled back into a quick ponytail. She wore a black uniform, and carried the pizzas in a red thermal bag. Shion grinned as she and Jin walked over to her.

"That's us," she said politely.

"I've got a large half extra-cheese, half pepperoni, small anchovy, and medium mushroom. That right?" the pizza delivery girl said.

"Yes, that's correct. Thank you very much." Jin said, taking the boxes from her and handing her the money. He signaled for everyone to follow him into the dining room. She stuffed it into her pocket, yawning and stretching. Just as the girl was about to walk away, Shion walked over to her.

"Tell me…what's your name?" Shion asked.

"Aeris," the teenager replied, deep green eyes suddenly filled with confusion.

"Well, Aeris…" The very emotional Shion got misty-eyed and hugged the tall girl. Aeris's expression froze and her body went rigid as Shion sniffed, "Thank you _so much _for this pizza. I hope Jin tipped you well…"

"Err…you're welcome?" Aeris managed to stammer before darting away, traumatized from the experience.

"I'll never forget you!" Shion called after her before closing the door and walking towards the dining room, stomach growling. Allen held his head in his hands.

"This is going to be a _long_ nine months."

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"So, Shion told you guys she had a surprise as well?" Jr. addressed the group, reaching for a can of beer.

Momo nodded enthusiastically. "Mom thinks she knows what the secret is, though."

"Really?" Albedo asked, hearing the satisfying fizz sound as he opened his beverage.

"Please, tell us," Gaignun suggested.

"Well…" Juli started, smiling softly. "I think she's-"

"Who wants wine?" Jin interrupted loudly, holding up a wine bottle. Nobody answered, mouths agape. "Anyone?"

"Errr…I guess I'll have some," the S.O.C.E. executive replied. Jin nodded and poured her and himself a glass.

"Well, I guess I'll help myself to a slice of anchovy," Jr. announced, reaching eagerly for the box. "You want a piece?" he asked chaos, who was seated next to him. chaos shook his head, refused politely, and sipped his water. "Ah well, all the more for me!" The U.R.T.V licked his lips and lifted the lid.

"_Get your hands away from the anchovy or die_."

Jr., wide-eyed, slowly turned his head to see Shion staring at him, wearing a glare that was so terrifying, it couldn't even be described. The redhead squealed in fright and curled up into a ball, tucking his legs into his chest. Shion snatched the box, took a slice and stuffed it into her mouth, sighing in almost orgasmic pleasure. Everyone (besides the petrified Jr., of course) stared at her.

"Umm...I'm hungry?" she suggested, raising her eyebrows. Most of the group slowly exchanged glances, shrugged, and went back to talking and laughing. Juli, however, continued to look at Shion. The older woman looked at her stomach, her countenance sly and knowing.

_Could she know?_ Shion asked herself in a mental scream, expression changing to show surprise and fright. As if reading Shion's thoughts, Juli locked her eyes onto the younger woman's and nodded furtively. Shion gulped.

"Shion, have some beer with your pizza," Albedo called to her. "Or some wine, Juli's really downing it. It must be good."

"Hey!"

"Just kidding, Dr. Mizrahi."

"Uhh…no thanks, I'll just have water," Shion replied, pouring herself a glass.

"Are you pregnant or something?" the middle U.R.T.V. asked, looking at her with his eyebrows arched. Shion opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Allen and Jin exchanged nervous glances. Silence fell around the table once again. chaos sensed her discomfort immediately.

"Jr.!" he exclaimed almost too cheerfully. "Why don't you tell them that funny joke you told me earlier?" Jr.'s face broke into a grin.

"Okay! Guys, listen. What do you get when you cross an owl with a bungee cord?" he started. Nobody answered. "…my ass!" He erupted into hysterical laughter.

"…Right." Gaignun shook his head slowly. Jr. smiled and leaned backwards, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Yeah, I made it up myself," he explained in a suave voice. He put his drink to his lips and tossed his head backwards, draining the can. "Ahh, that's refreshing."

"Thinking up that joke deserves another beer, I think," Allen chuckled. The rest of the table nodded in agreement, laughing.

"Yeah, sounds good. Just let me empty the tank first," he replied. "I've gotta pee like a racehorse. Jin, where's your bathroom?" Jin pointed in the direction of the restroom. Jr. nodded and headed towards his destination.

Jin then cursed inwardly as he realized a mistake he had made earlier that day. He motioned for Shion to come to him. She sighed in frustration, stood, and walked over to him, not bothering to put down her precious slice of pizza. Everyone else continued talking.

"Shion…ah," he started in a whisper. "Earlier, after you and Allen fell asleep, I decided to do you a favor and throw away the test for you…but, in my state of delirious rage, I put it in the bathroom wastebasket, forgetting to cover it. Jr. may see it."

"Well you've gotta stop him!" Shion whispered back, mouth full. Jin sighed, lips pursed, trying to think of an idea.

"I'll see what I can do," he murmured, standing and starting in the same direction Jr. had. Suddenly, Shion became very nervous about telling them about the baby. How would they react? Would they begin to see her and Allen as promiscuous and disgusting?

"Umm…Shion, is everything alright?" Momo asked. Shion turned abruptly to discover that the table had fallen silent after Jin had left.

"Y-Yes! Everything is fine," Shion replied, quickly taking her seat beside Allen. She flashed her fiancé an "I-Think-They-May-Find-Out" look.

"Are you sure?" Gaignun prodded. "Jin certainly high-tailed it out of here."

"I'm positive." Shion sighed. "How's the pizza, everyone?" She received various comments ranging from "good" to "freakin' awesome!".

"I just wonder why we're not having your curry, Shion," Momo commented. "It tasted so good!"

"Err…I wasn't feeling very well earlier, and I didn't get around to making it," she explained. "Besides, I think we're due for a change." Shion broke into a slight swear, racking her brain, trying to think of something else to change the subject with.

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In the restroom, Jr. was assuming the position to use the toilet. Suddenly, something in the wastebasket beside the sink caught his eye. "Helloooo, what's this?" he murmured, leaning down to look at it. It was something he had seen before, but only on commercials on the UMN Television Networks. It took a moment before what the object was registered in his mind.

"Holy crap, it's a pregnancy test!" he said in a bewildered whisper. "Not only that, it's a _positive_ pregnancy test!"

The U.R.T.V. quickly finished his business before emerging from the room, stepping into the hallway, shouting, "Hey, who's preg-MMPPH!" Jin removed his hand from Jr.'s lips and pushed him against the wall across from the bathroom door. "You're not going to chop me up into little cubes, are you?" he squeaked, frightened.

"Of course not!" Jin whispered harshly, trying to think of an excuse for the item in the wastebasket. Then, he realized who it was he was talking to. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Look, Jr., I'm pregnant. Don't tell anyone, alright?"

Jr. stared at him blankly for a moment. Then, he exclaimed, "Way to go, Jin! Man, I wish my sex life was as good as yours! Don't worry, I won't tell a soul," he promised, giving him the "scout's honor" sign. Jin sighed in relief and released his captive. Together, they headed back to the dining room.

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"So, you guys are back," Gaignun said in the nick of time, saving Shion from being stared at even more. Jin and Jr. nodded before taking their seats again.

"What'd I miss?" the redhead asked eagerly, reaching for another beer.

"Nothing really interesting," chaos said.

"Juli, is there anything big going on at the subcommittee?" Allen asked, trying to steer the conversation away from inevitably making Shion uncomfortable.

"Actually, yes," Dr. Mizrahi replied. "We've been registering major thermal energy and activity around a deserted planet a few light years away from here. Although, reports of Gnosis attacks are on a very small scale, so we're thinking that it's just military training." Everyone nodded and murmured.

"Any wedding plans for you two?" Ziggy inquired, looking at Shion and Allen.

"We were actually thinking about having the wedding next summer," Shion replied, blushing slightly. "But…now we may move it up to the spring."

"Spring weddings are always nice," Juli said, smiling. Shion rested her head on Allen's shoulder, nodding.

"Do you have any ideas for your gown, Shion?" Momo tilted her head to the side, nervously.

"Yeah, what color will it be?" Jr. asked. Everyone around the table facepalmed.

After they were finished with their meals, Allen opened his cards. He received money from everyone, plus a very…err, lovely drawing from Jr. After he opened the last card, Shion took a deep breath and stood, pulling Allen to his feet as well. She gave Jin a look, and he nodded. Allen, too, got the message.

"As I told you earlier, Allen and I have an announcement to make," Shion began, feeling butterflies of nervousness in her stomach.

"And it's a big one too," Allen confirmed. They both took deep breaths and spoke in unison.

"I am-"

"Shion is-"

"Wait!" Shion whispered to Allen. "Can I talk to you for a second?" she asked, turning her back on the group. Her fiancé shrugged and turned as well. Everyone around the table looked at each other in confusion. Jr. quietly got to his feet and tiptoed up behind them, unnoticed.

"What's wrong?" asked Allen. Shion sighed nervously, blushing.

"I'm kind of afraid to tell them," she admitted. "I mean, I just don't want them to think we're irresponsible…"

"They're going to notice eventually," the man chuckled quietly. "You also don't want them thinking that your body changing is just weight gain." Shion laughed. "I think we should just tell them now and save them the shock."

"You're right…"

"What are we whispering about!" Jr. shouted, thrusting his head between theirs, scaring the daylights out of them. Shion screamed and Allen jumped at least a foot in the air.

"Dammit, Jr.!" Shion yelled, giving him a girly punch on the back as he scurried back to his seat, laughing his ass off.

"Please, don't keep us in suspense any longer," said Ziggy.

"Yes, please, tell us!" Momo begged. Shion and Allen looked at each other. There was no turning back.

"Everyone, I'm pregnant," Shion said sincerely. "Allen and I are going to have a baby." Allen nodded, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Complete and total silence.

Shion and Allen were petrified as everyone at the table sat completely still, gaping at the two of them.

"Did you mean _literally_ or _metaphorically_?" Jr. broke the silence, voice cracking slightly.

"Uh, literally," Shion replied. More silence. She and Allen both gulped.

"Are you happy or upset about this?" Momo said very reluctantly. The rest of the table waited for the couple's response with bated breath.

"We're happy, of course!" Allen told them. Instantly, everyone let out sighs of relief and cheered. Both of the females rushed to hug Shion while the males fought each other to shake Allen's hand. Jr. even punched Gaignun in the eye to get to him first.

"We're so happy for you!" Momo squealed, embracing Shion.

"For some reason, I'm not surprised," chaos commented. Then, he noticed Jr. standing next to him, playing rock-paper-scissors with himself and accusing his left hand of cheating. "Then again," the teen murmured, resting his head in his hands, "Not much surprises me anymore."

"I see now why you wanted to move up the wedding date," Ziggy murmured. "But, Shion…you, of all people? I honestly never saw this coming."

"What a coincidence! Jin is pregnant too!" Jr. shouted, stopping his game and pointing at the samurai. Jin shook his head slowly as everyone stared.

"It's a long story…" he muttered. "Jr., the pregnancy test was Shion's. I'm not pregnant. That's not even physically possible"

"…you lied to me!" Jr. yelled, hurt. Momo quickly went to comfort him, giving the rest of the group an exasperated look.

"This is unbelievable," Albedo and Gaignun replied, incredulous. The youngest variant rubbed his assaulted eye.

"So that's why Jin was after you on the phone," Momo giggled, giving Allen a friendly hug.

"Do you guys want to have a little boy or girl?" Juli asked, smiling brightly at Shion and Allen. The couple gave their answers in unison.

"Girl."

"Boy."

They looked at each other, eyebrows raised. "Girl," Shion pressed.

"Yes, a girl," Allen stammered, quickly changing his answer. Shion in a hormonal rage frankly scared him.

"But we'd be happy with anything," the woman added, grinning excitedly. She was so glad at how they had responded.

"My only wonder is, how did this happen?" Momo asked. "I mean, you've never had sex, right?" Silence fell for what seemed like the millionth time that night.

"Err…she was still in the young body when you two first canoodled," Jr. explained. "Momo, they had sex the night before your analysis. Heh." Momo's face contorted into one of fright and confusion. "Yeah, I had the same reaction."

"Hmm, I wonder if it actually did happen that night," Shion said thoughtfully, resting her hand on her chin, "or if it was one of the _other_ nights." Allen blushed and laughed nervously. Jin's eyes widened as he thought about his sister's productive intimate life.

"Oh, Jin. Loosen up," said Albedo. The Japanese man sighed deeply and admitted defeat.

"We can find out when it happened, if you really want," Jin announced. "I can perform a sonogram. I have my connection gear from the hospital." Everyone began talking happily amongst themselves as Jin went to retrieve the device from his room.

"By my calculations, you'll have the baby during the beginning of the summer," Gaignun pointed out. Juli nodded, counting the number of months in her head.

"Good. You wouldn't wanna be heavily pregnant during the hot-as-balls summer," commented Jr.

Jin returned with his connection gear. "Come with me into the living room so that Shion can lie down while I do this," he instructed. Shion and Allen grinned and followed her brother as the rest of the group tussled to get out of the doorway. Unfortunately for Gaignun, he took another punch in the opposite eye.

"Jr.!"

"Sorry, Gaignun..."

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"Alright, Shion, I'll need you to lie on your back and lift up your shirt," Jin instructed his sister, kneeling in front of her on the couch and booting up his connection gear.

"Hehe, yes please…Ow!" Albedo yelped and grabbed his arm. "Gaignun, don't punch me! I've only got two arms- wait." Albedo narrowed his eyes in thought. Gaignun growled in anger as Jr. laughed. The rest of the group crowded around the couch in a tight semi-circle. Allen fought his way through to make it to his fiancée's side.

"Watch it, Jr. might punch you," Gaignun said scornfully.

"Hey, shut up! It's a reflex!"

"Are you ready?" Shion asked Allen softly, smiling brightly. He took a moment to admire her smile. He had never seen her so happy.

"I've never been more ready for anything in my life," he replied, kissing her on the forehead and taking her hand in his.

"Awwww!" Juli, Momo, and Jr. squealed. The couple smiled timidly. Unseen by anyone, Jr. slipped his arm around Momo's waist. She looked up at him, blushing.

chaos, who had been silent for a while now, chimed in. "It's a shame KOS-MOS isn't here. I'm sure she would have loved to meet her younger brother or sister."

"He's right," Ziggy commented. "KOS-MOS is technically your daughter."

"You know, I never thought of it that way…" Allen murmured. Shion beamed and lifted her shirt slightly for Jin.

"Everyone ready?" the samurai asked, placing the device just above her stomach. The group in its entirety nodded their heads fervently. He smiled and pressed the button on the connection gear, and the holographic screen materialized above it. "Aha, just as I suspected…the scan ages the child at about two-and-a-half weeks along."

Shion looked at the image on the screen, and then at Allen. Tears sparkled in her emerald eyes as she said, "Allen, that's our baby." Allen's eyes welled up as well as he stared at the screen in awe. He leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, returning the gesture.

"Isn't it beautiful, Jan?" Juli whispered to Ziggy, green eyes bright and sparkling, taking his gloved hand in hers. The cyborg looked into her eyes and managed a smile…her hand was warm around his.

"Can you please make the screen larger?" asked Gaignun.

"We don't have super-sonic vision, you know," Albedo added.

"Sorry," Jin apologized, quickly enlarging the screen for all to see. Momo chirped an "awww!" in delight as Jr.'s face contorted in confusion.

"It looks like…Doppler radar or something…" he murmured. The pink-haired girl sighed and rolled her eyes in disdain.

"So, these are your first baby pictures," chaos chimed in. The betrothed couple laughed as Jin smirked.

"Do you want to find out the sex of the baby?" the doctor asked the parents. "Because if you want, I can do a chromosome scan." Shion and Allen looked at each other, thinking it through.

"…not yet," the woman concluded. "I think we should be kept in suspense for a little while." Allen nodded in agreement.

"As you wish." Jin shut off his connection gear and Shion sat back up, pulling her shirt down.

"I can't wait to tell Mary and Shelley," the youngest variant thought aloud. Albedo grinned.

"Yeah, maybe it'll get them in the mood to have children," the white-haired man suggested lewdly. Gaignun grunted in exasperation and buried his head in his hands.

"You see what he's like? I have to _live_ with this, every single day!"

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Later that night, after the rest of the group had said their goodbyes and departed (not to mention that Momo and Juli became obsessed with Shion's stomach), Shion and Allen had their pajamas on, ready for bed. Jin had already retired for the night. Allen yawned and stretched, lying back on the bed. "Boy, it's been a huge day. I'm ready for some sleep."

"Me too," Shion moaned, relaxing beside him. "Oh! Before I forget, I still have to give you your birthday gift from me! And Miyuki, I guess, but she doesn't count." She leaned over the side of the bed and reached underneath of it, pulling out a silver case.

"Shion, you've already given me the gift of fatherhood. I don't need anything else," he protested.

"But I already paid Miyuki for this," Shion said, pouting. Allen sighed, not wanting to provoke a deadly mood swing.

"Okay, okay. But what could you have possibly paid Miyuki for?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Some vanilla extract? Remember when she drank it straight from the bottle at that one party?" Shion laughed, covering her mouth with her hand as she remembered that particular incident. After chugging two mouthfuls of vanilla extract, Miyuki almost vomited all over Janice, a fellow First Division worker.

"No, this!" she exclaimed, opening the case.

"…whoa!" Allen whispered in awe. Inside of the case was a beautiful sleek black pistol, something that Jr. would probably lick when he saw it. Allen took it out of the case, running his fingers along the shaft.

"It's a Beretta," Shion chirped happily. "You know, just in case we get pulled into doing something else by Helmer."

"B-but those haven't been in use for…I don't even know how long!" Allen stammered in amazement, admiring the weapon.

"Gaignun sent me an e-mail about it, claiming that Jr. had enough pistols. He was wondering if I was interested. I won it in an auction, and had Miyuki make a few modifications."

"This…this is amazing!" he exclaimed, placing it back into the case and pulling Shion into his arms. "Thank you so much," he whispered in her ear, kissing her neck.

"I'm glad you like it," she giggled. "I'll have to tell Miyuki about your reaction."

Shion cuddled against Allen as he pulled the sheet over the two of them and shut off the light. He kissed her forehead, rubbing her stomach. "I love it when we do this," she murmured under her breath, not intending for Allen to hear. He felt heat rise to his face as she rested her head on his chest.

"Only nine months until we're parents," whispered Allen. Shion smiled softly and closed her eyes. "I can't wait to see the baby."

"Wait until we tell KOS-MOS," she added "I'm interested to see how she reacts." Allen kissed her again.

"One thing is kind of funny, though," he half-laughed.

"What's that?"

"The first time either of us probably got laid in two years, you get pregnant."

Neither of them could help but laugh at that.

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**-Falls over- BAH! That took me quite a while…but, whatever! This ending was kind of a crap-thing…I pulled it together at the last second. I tried to add some Jr.xMomo and ZiggyxJuli development into this chapter too, sorry if it sounded forced. I promise that Ziggy and chaos will have a lot more lines in the near future, heh.**

**I've watched the epilogue of Xenosaga 3 (I know, I'm a spoiler whore), and may I say, on a visual standpoint (since I can't understand a word of Japanese), we will _not_ be disappointed. Although, a few deaths left me a bit upset…**

**Oh, and the pizza-delivery chick was Aeris1172's character in the story. And the reference to Miyuki drinking vanilla extract is a reference to what I did once. .;**

**Until next time, this is KOS-MOS rox, signing off! **


	5. Back to Business

**And another chapter is here, yay! I'm looking forward to writing about Miyuki, since I _am_ Miyuki XD Seriously. We have the same personality.**

**Neo: Yes, it gets extremely annoying sometimes. **

**The entirety of this chapter takes place about a week after the previous one, but I don't tell you that until a few parts in. Just so that you don't think that the "about a week later" part is after the beginning, it's at the same time.**

**Neo: KOS-MOS rox doesn't own anything in this chapter, so don't sue her broke ass.**

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**Xenosaga Episode III: Lager Unsere Kreuze**

**Chapter 4: Back to Business**

"Get him! Make him suffer!"

"That's it, don't back off!"

A small, plain room echoed with hooting and hollering. Fierce, almost animalistic snarls came from center of the commotion. A small group of people, wearing identical uniforms and ranging in ages of looks from teens to early twenties, clustered in a ring around a source of entertainment. They rudely jostled each other for a better view of whatever was going on in the middle of the circle.

Two males were engaged in a fierce wrestling match on the carpeted floor. Both were slender and muscular, and both were also wearing the identical uniforms and had blonde hair. The warrior who clearly had the advantage looked to be about sixteen years old, with straight hair and blue eyes. The second, about fourteen, struggled against the older one's weight. His green eyes narrowed and a sweat of exertion broke out on his forehead as he tried to lift himself from his pinned position.

"Not gonna get away from me," said the dominant one, huffing and puffing. He held the smaller down by his curly hair.

"Come on, Leviticus! Fight back!" yelled a female voice from the crowd.

"No way, Exodus is going to kick his ass!" a gravelly, masculine voice protested.

The argument continued loudly, with more spectators joining in. They were so wrapped up in their fight that they didn't notice the man entering the room and standing at the door, folding his arms in front of his chest.

_Disgraceful_, he thought, observing the commotion. With a loud sigh, he smacked his hand on the top of one of the steel tables bolted to the floor.

_BANG_! The echo of his hand smacking the metal resounded through the entire room, cutting through the yelling and carrying on like a sword. The mob fell silent. Even the two battling teenagers halted their clash, scrambling to their feet. Startled eyes turned towards the solitary figure at the entrance to the room.

Although very young, at the age of twenty-five, Genesis carried himself as a true leader. The second highest rank of the group, he was the unquestioned commander of the faction in the room. His auburn hair was combed neatly, and his brown eyes studied the crowd intently. His attire was considerably different than the outfits worn by his followers. The tail of his black leather coat hung at his ankles. His gloves and boots were slick and polished.

Ashamed soldiers edged from his path as he strode confidently towards them, chin tilted upwards strongly. His disapproving eyes raked along their faces, and they shrank back even further. They bowed their heads in submission.

"You're acting like a pack of rabid dogs," he spoke disdainfully. "And that will simply not do. Not if you expect to defeat the Divine Form. Not if you expect to survive _at all_."

He looked at one of the spectators, whose deep blue eyes fell to the ground. He had wavy black hair and looked slightly younger than Genesis, maybe twenty-two. "Deuteronomy, I told you to keep an eye on them. You _are_ second in command, you know."

"I...um…" Deuteronomy sighed in defeat. "Sorry, sir."

Genesis scoffed at him and looked over to the sweaty teens in the center of the circle. "Exodus! Leviticus!"

They were both red-faced, gasping for breath. Sweat ran down their faces, their hair clinging to their damp foreheads. _They should save this for our foes_, Genesis thought, appalled at such a pointless waste of energy. The truly sad thing was that these two were his more reliable assassins.

"Sir, we were just-" Leviticus began. Genesis cut him off with a wave of the hand.

"Save it." Brown eyes meet with the teen's green ones as Genesis said, "Leviticus, the mistress has a job for you."

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About a week later, things were falling into a routine in the Uzuki household. Shion and Allen were getting ready to leave for their first day back to work. They were actually looking forward to it. Life around the house had become a bit boring after a while.

Shion had been constantly sick in the mornings, unable to do almost anything until noon. It had been a concern of theirs for when they were to return to work with the Second Division, but they decided to just hope for the best. Apparently, they had gotten lucky, since Shion hadn't thrown up once yet this morning.

Allen stood over the sink in the bathroom across the hall from Shion's room, shaving. Shion was in the shower. Sighing, he rinsed his face before putting on his uniform shirt. He heard the water in the shower stop running.

"Jin, is that you?" Shion's voice echoed from behind inside of the shower pod. "If it is, get out or I'll snap your neck."

"No, it's me," Allen replied, running a brush through his hair.

"Good." Shion appeared out of the shower, wrapped in a towel. Allen couldn't help but stare at her. Her glow was so beautiful. "What?" she asked, giggling at his transfixed gaze.

"Nothing," he replied, snapping back to reality. He held out a neatly-folded pile of clothes to her. "I brought your uniform in for you."

"Aww, thanks," she said gratefully, taking them from him. "You know, it's going to feel so strange wearing these again," she murmured.

"I know," Allen agreed, reaching into the cabinet for some hair gel. "It almost makes me want to call you 'Chief' again." Shion laughed as she slid her ring, which was on top of the clothes, onto her finger.

"Think anyone will notice?" she asked, smirking as she looked at it. It was the most beautiful piece of jewelry she had ever seen.

"I have a feeling they will."

Shion grabbed a second towel and quickly dried her hair with it. She pulled it back away from her face, and her bangs fell to frame her face. "Does this look alright?" she asked Allen. "I've been thinking of trying this style for a while."

"I think it looks great," he said with a sweet, sappy smile. Shion blushed and stuck her tongue out at him as she applied some moisturizer to her face.

"My skin broke out a few times last time I was pregnant," she explained. "I just want to be careful."

"Ah, Shion…" Allen murmured. "Not to bring up any memories or anything, but…how long were you pregnant with Kevin's child?"

"Eight and a half weeks." A very uncomfortable silence fell upon them.

"I'm so sorry," Allen whispered.

"Don't worry about it," Shion replied, smiling slightly at his nervousness.

She dried the rest of her body off and got dressed. She looked at her reflection in the mirror with a pout. She turned sideways and studied her profile in the full-length mirror, sighing loudly.

"Allen…" she started, still pouting. Allen's eyes widened as his blood ran cold.

_Oh no…please, don't ask what I think you're going to ask…_ he begged mentally.

"…am I fat?"

_Dammit_. Allen sighed aloud, trying to decide what to say. He knew that he had to handle this issue carefully, or he may get his head chopped off.

"Shion, that's a ridiculous question," he said slowly and thoughtfully. "You're _not_ fat." Shion groaned in frustration as she pointed at her stomach.

"How can you say that? Look at me!" Allen studied her for a moment. True, she had gained a little weight, but that was to be expected. Besides, she was still more slender than most women even wished to be. He could see why she was concerned, though; the uniform she was wearing was very tight-fitting and made the weight gain noticeable.

"Shion, you're not fat, you're pregnant," Allen said softly, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "There's a difference." Shion looked at the tile floor as her lower lip began to tremble. _Oh boy_. Allen winced.

"Well," Shion said, voice trembling. She looked up at him, emerald eyes glaring at him through the tears forming in them, "it's _your _fault that I'm pregnant!" she yelled at him. Covering her face with both hands, she began crying. Allen groaned and pulled her into his arms. She stopped crying, wiping her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said in a pathetic voice. "I just feel so moody all the time now!"

"I know, I know," Allen reassured her softly, kissing her forehead. She pulled away from him and washed the tearstains off of her cheeks. "Look, Shion. You're beautiful no matter what. Besides…" He smirked, looking her up and down.

"What?" she asked.

"I am enjoying _those_," he commented, grinning and pointing at her chest. Shion immediately felt her cheeks light up with crimson color.

"Have they really gotten that much bigger?" she asked shyly, closing her eyes, blushing redder than a tomato. "I mean, they _did_ feel a bit tender, but…"

"Enough for me to notice," Allen told her, smirking and licking his lips jokingly. Shion giggled and playfully hit him.

"Anyways…do you think anyone would care if I didn't wear my uniform?" she asked, trying to move the topic of their conversation away from her breasts.

"Of course not. You're the Chief, remember?"

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Allen's sedan came to a stop in the shadow of a ten-foot-high, barbed wire fence that encompassed all of Vector's Second Miltian Headquarters. KOS-MOS, as well as a few prominent members of the First and Second Divisions, had been transported from the Dammerung. The facilities at this building were better for the job they were doing than the Dammerung, because there was a large "joint lab". There would be more room for the employees to do their work.

A middle-aged guard placed his hand on the roof of the car. "I'll need some ID, please," he said. Shion and Allen obliged and handed them their electronic cards.

The officer scanned their cards before looking up. "Thank you, Chief Uzuki and Vice-Chief Ridgeley." He gave a small hand motion, and the gate swung open. Allen nodded at him and continued to drive.

About half a mile later, they went through the same process at a second station. "Come on…I mean, we've been through this a million times," Shion murmured sarcastically. Allen smiled and snickered lightly. They followed the road for a small bit longer and pulled into the employee parking lot. Allen pulled into a spot and killed the engine.

"Hey, Allen." Shion looked up at him.

"Hm?"

"I don't think we should tell anyone here about the baby," she continued. "I mean, it'd be better to wait until we were married. Besides, this is probably against some protocol somewhere."

"I agree," Allen replied. "But I'm sure we can tell Miyuki and Togashi."

"Well…maybe Togashi." Shion smirked. "I don't think I trust Miyuki with that sort of knowledge. She'll probably make me some kind of outrageous new invention…I don't even want to think about it." Allen laughed as they exited the car and walked across the landscaped threshold.

Once they entered the main building, they proceeded from the lobby to a long hallway, where a voice-scan gate blocked their entry. The young guard on duty looked up at them. He had astonishingly bright blue eyes and jet black hair. "Good morning, you guys. How was your break?"

"It was very good, Lawrence," Shion replied, smiling softly.

"We're looking forward to getting back to KOS-MOS, though," Allen added.

"I imagine so," Lawrence commented. "You look nice, Ms. Uzuki."

"Thank you," she said meekly. She was dressed in her normal outfit of khaki capris, red tank top, and dark jacket.

"And, I also notice a new accessory," he added slyly, pointing at the ring on her finger. "Who's the lucky man?" Shion blushed.

"Well, uh…" she said, laughing nervously, "you're looking at him." Allen grinned and scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. A wide smile broke out across Lawrence's face.

"I knew it! I always knew that you two would end up tying the knot!" he half-yelled enthusiastically. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks." Shion blushed.

"Ah, hell…" the guard said, still smiling. "Anyways, you know the drill." Shion nodded and leaned towards the microphone.

"Shion Uzuki." Instantly, the frequency concentrations of her voice were recognized by the computer. The gate opened and she stepped through. Allen repeated the process.

"Have a nice day, you two," Lawrence called after them, smiling and waving as they heaved towards the lab where they would be working.

"I think this is it," said Allen as they came to a door. A temporary sign read "_Vector First and Second Divisions – KOS-MOS Project – Authorized Personnel Only_".

"Looks like it." Shion nodded. "Now, remember, don't say anything that would give away that I'm pregnant. Let's just hope that Miyuki and Togashi didn't tell anyone that we're even engaged.

The door slid open automatically. About six or seven employees from both the First and Second Divisions jumped out at Shion and Allen, led by Miyuki and Togashi.

"_Congratulations!_" they yelled excitedly, grinning. Miyuki squealed and waved both arms in the air.

Shion and Allen looked at each other. This was going to be harder than they thought.

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**-Sniff- I'm so sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but I'm starting school in two days. I don't wanna go to high school…-Cries- Updates may become more sporadic from now on, but bear with me. XD**

**But OMG. Less than a week until Xenosaga 3 comes out! Even though I've spoiled almost everything, I can't wait to actually play it. O.O**

**Jin gets romance in the next chapter, mmmkay?**


	6. Ghost of a Good Thing

**Oh my, it's been quite a while. No, this story is most definitely not abandoned. I just wanted to finish the _real_ episode 3 before I continued, and that took a long time. The game was…omg, brilliant twenty times over. I loved some scenes in particular that I'm sure you can guess.**

**Neo: She practically busted a ventricle during said scenes.**

**I almost _died_!**

**Neo: KOS-MOS rox doesn't own Xenosaga or anything else mentioned in this story, except the plot line.**

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Xenosaga Episode III: Lager Unsere Kreuze**

**Chapter 5: Ghost of a Good Thing**

All eyes were on Shion and Allen as they stood before the group of Vector employees. Miyuki grinned at them and gave them a double thumbs-up. "I can't believe you're getting married!" Evelyn, the blonde woman that they had worked with on the Woglinde, exclaimed. "Allen isn't as much of a wimp as I thought!"

"Hey, thanks," Allen said, deadpan.

"I'm guessing Miyuki told all of you about this?" Shion said with a forced smile, while shooting the girl a look. Miyuki cringed slightly, but the smile never left her face. The rest of the congregation looked at each other and nodded.

All of the obligatory questions followed, such as "How did he ask you? Was it creative?", "How long were you dating?" and Shion's least favorite, "Who's usually on top?" Not surprisingly, the third came from Miyuki. She promptly received a glare, and her foot was stepped on.

"I knew it!" John Bell, another man from the Woglinde, shouted. "You guys _were_ dating on the Woglinde! Wow, I didn't think Allen had it in him."

In the corner were gathered three young, quite pretty, Second Division girls. Each of them wore a look of contempt directed at Shion. "Hey, what's their problem?" Shion whispered to Togashi.

"Apparently, they think Allen is pretty hot," he replied, trying to hide the snickering in-between his words. "They hate you now…I'd watch my back if I were you."

"Oh really?" Shion said loudly and sarcastically, looking directly at them, a sudden unbridled anger bubbling up inside of her. She opened her mouth to continue, but Allen quickly stopped her.

"Mood swing?" he mouthed to her. She nodded sheepishly. The women sneered at her.

"Alright people, let's keep it PG in here!" Miyuki said. "We don't want any trouble."

"Now it's been exciting to have our Chief and Vice-Chief engaged," Togashi concurred, "but we need to get to work. We've got a lot to do. Chief?"

"Right." Shion nodded, her take-charge attitude showing once again. "Second Division, I want the specs on the new armor I heard that you were designing delivered to me for approval before the end of this week. First Division, let's try to get through these new diagnostics and probes. We've got a lot to do, so let's get moving." The workers nodded and proceeded to their workstations.

After the group dissipated, Shion and Allen switched on their terminals again. "Well, I guess everything's back to the way it was before," she sighed.

"Well…almost," he pointed out, his eyes traveling downwards to her belly. She sighed again, more raggedly this time, seeming exasperated.

"Stop staring at my stomach, people will get suspicious." Without another word, she turned her eyes to the screen in front of her.

"Shion, Allen! It's great to see you two again!" a voice sounded from behind them. Shion and Allen turned to see the Chief of the Second Divison.

"It's nice to see you as well, Chief O'Rourke," Shion replied, smiling. They had met him formally a few times, but had never worked with him directly.

"Please, call me Kerrigan." Kerrigan O'Rourke was an average-sized man, a bit taller than Allen. He was about the age of thirty-seven, with flaming red hair and crystal green eyes. He spoke with a slight, handsome brogue which has surely attracted a good number of women when he was younger.

"How are you doing?" Allen asked.

"I've been well," he replied, a charming smile crawling across his freckled face. "I had to come over and talk to you two after I heard the news. You're to be married?" Shion blushed and smiled softly. "I'll take that as a yes," he said smugly. "I tell you, the married life is great." He pointed to the wedding band on his finger.

"We're looking forward to it," Allen agreed, smiling sweetly at Shion. Her cheeks lit up again.

"How is everyone in your family doing?" asked Shion, knowing that he was married with two children.

"Everyone is doing pretty well," Kerrigan answered. "Lianne is busy with the two fireballs, as usual. Brennan, our oldest – he's twelve now – got into a fight at school, so we're trying to settle him a bit," he elaborated. "And my baby, Riley, just started her first year of school. She's adapting well, thank heavens."

"That's good to hear."

"My kids are the greatest joy in my life," he mused aloud, eyes twinkling. "But they're quite a handful too. Take my advice: wait a while after you get married. Enjoy life as a couple for a while. Then, go crazy."

Shion and Allen stopped and stared at each other, eyes wide. Shion let out a small squeak as she attempted to talk. "Eh, I can see that you two are busy. I'll leave you to your work," O'Rourke said. "My team will have you the designs for the armor by Thursday, at most."

"Thank you very much," Shion choked out politely. He walked to the other side of the room, grinning and waving as he did so.

"Oh, do you think anyone knows? Can they tell?" Shion asked him in a panicked whisper. Allen shook his head.

"It's just a coincidence, there's no way they could know anything," he reassured her. "Let's just try to get this work done. It can take our minds off of it, you know?"

Shion nodded silently and began to type, although she knew that nothing would ever be able to take her mind from the baby.

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An hour or so passed, and everyone was diligently at work. There were no sounds in the whole lab, except for some murmuring of employees and beeping of terminals. Shion yawned and stretched, managing to tear her eyes away from her screen for a moment. She was still feeling pretty good, although she had a slight headache. Looking over her shoulder at the pod in the middle of the room where KOS-MOS lay, a sudden, humorous thought struck her.

"Hey, Allen?" she said quietly. He looked at her.

"What?"

"What do you think KOS-MOS would do with the baby?" she asked, laughing softly. "I wonder if there would be any sibling rivalry…"

"That would be pretty funny," Allen admitted. "Hey, do you think we should tell her? We could do a private dive later today, if you wanted to. I'm sure she'd like to know that she has a younger brother or sister on the way."

"That sounds like a good idea," she agreed.

"Hey, Chief!" Togashi exclaimed, appearing behind them suddenly. Both Shion and Allen jumped.

"What is it, Togashi?" she replied once she got her bearings.

"I just wanted to let you know that I've made progress on most of my probes. Man, some of them were really tough."

"That's not all, is it?" Allen asked, looking at him suspiciously.

"Well…" Togashi shrugged sheepishly. "You caught me. I just wanted to know if you guys set a date yet." Shion's eye twitched.

"You bothered us for _that_?" she spat. "Alright! Allen and I are getting married! Big deal, put it behind you!" She sighed and turned back to her terminal. Togashi stared at her, shocked.

"…PMS?" he whispered to Allen.

"Oh, you have no idea," he whispered back.

More time passed, and Shion's condition was beginning to deteriorate. The text on her terminal's screen swam in and out of focus as she read it. Her head was pounding as if someone was using a jackhammer on her skull. Her stomach lurched, and she let out a small moan.

"Shion, are you alright?" Allen asked. "You look kind of pale."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little bit diz-" Her stomach turned again, and she clapped her hand to her mouth.

"Are you sure?" Allen asked, eyeing her. "You really don't look well."

"Well…maybe some rest wouldn't hurt. Take over for me, okay?" she whispered weakly once the wave passed.

"Of course," he said gently as she stood and began to walk to the employee break room.

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The break room was absolutely nothing like the lab. It was made for comfort – it had carpeting, a fully-stocked refrigerator, kitchenette, and a sofa. The coffee maker gurgled on the end of the counter. The conjoined restroom even had a shower for people who pulled all-nighters at work, like Shion had. But, at that moment, all that mattered to her was that the room was dark and quiet.

The wave of nausea had passed, leaving Shion with a throbbing headache and terrible dizziness. She drew the curtains on the windows that saw out into the lab, and collapsed on the couch. She groaned, turning onto her side. _Everything was going so well_, she thought in a huff.

But her headache was relentless. She quickly and involuntarily fell into a doze.

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Meanwhile, in the lab, Togashi wandered once again over to Allen. "Hey, Allen, where'd the Chief go?" he wondered. "I had a question about one diagnostic, and I was hoping that she could give me a hand."

"She, er, wasn't feeling well," Allen stammered. "She went to the lounge to rest. She should be back soon."

"Hmm." Togashi closed his eyes and smirked. "She's pregnant, isn't she?"

"_What_?" Allen almost screamed. He began to sweat.

"I'll take that as a yes," Togashi said, still smirking. "Man, that's pretty cool."

"Togashi," Allen began in a grave voice. "Go back to your terminal. If you say a word of this to anyone, I'll come after you."

"Wow, okay, geez," he said, turning and walking back to his workstation. "It's not my fault you knocked her up…" he murmured under his breath.

"What was that?" Allen growled.

"Nothing, sir. You're still just hearing things."

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_The darkness all around her was disrupted only by the soft glow of a holographic monitor. She stood in front of it, placing a hand on her swollen belly. The text scrolling across the screen was blurry, and she couldn't make the words out. Yet, she somehow knew that the information that she was reading should have made her feel like she had been betrayed. _

_But instead, she felt nothing._

_Nothing at all._

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Shion woke with a miserable groan as her stomach turned again. She closed her eyes and placed a hand on her belly, not thinking about the dream she had just had. She decided that she would deal with that later.

"Look, baby, I love you," she moaned, speaking to the child in her womb, "but couldn't you give me a break for _one_ day?"

"Aww! I love you too, Shion!" an energetic voice hollered into Shion's ear. Shion's eyes snapped open to see Miyuki's face about an inch from hers, smiling gleefully. She screamed and jumped, causing her stomach more pain. Miyuki straightened and laughed, flipping on the lights, satisfied. "That was _priceless_. You should've seen your face." She took a sip from the mug of coffee she was holding.

Shion sat one the couch, staring at the girl. "Miyuki, what are you doing in here, and – oh dear heavens – why do you have coffee?"

"I was coming in here to see how you were doing," she replied. "And as for the coffee, well I-"

Shion's stomach lurched again. "Hold that thought," she squeaked as she made a dash for the restroom. Miyuki rolled her eyes as she heard Shion retching.

"Oh, sure, just go ahead and puke right while I'm in the middle of a sentence," she grumbled, putting her free hand on her hip. "I'm not offended at _all_." Once Shion finished, she came out of the bathroom and filled a glass with water from the sink. "Hey, are you okay?" Miyuki asked her.

"Yeah," Shion answered, slightly embarrassed. She took a drink from the cup. "It's just that I'm-"

"PREGNANT?" Miyuki suggested loudly, smirking mischievously. Completely taken aback, Shion accidentally spat the water that was in her mouth all over, spraying Miyuki. "Mmm, yes, lovely," she muttered, face suddenly deadpan. Water dripping from her nose and chin, she set down her mug and wiped her face on the back of her sleeve.

"Sorry," Shion sputtered. "You caught me off guard there."

"Ah, so you _are_ pregnant," Miyuki said triumphantly, wiggling her eyebrows.

"…yes," Shion gave in, defeated. "But look, you can't tell anyone. Got it? Not even Togashi, because I don't know whether Allen told him or not."

"No problem. This will be kept top-secret," she replied, "zipping" her lips. "So were you and Allen engaged before or after this?"

"Well, we were engaged before we found out," she replied reluctantly. "But…I think we actually conceived earlier than that."

"I see. Allen must have some pretty powerful little soldiers," Miyuki commented.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" she said quickly in a sing-song voice. Shion narrowed her eyes, and Miyuki laughed awkwardly.

"Anyway," Shion said, still giving Miyuki the glare, "how did you know that I was pregnant? How could you tell?"

"Ah, it's simple, my dear Shion," the girl started, smiling. "I could just tell. It's a woman thing. Oh, and of course, I could tell by the fact that you almost just relinquished your breakfast unto my shoes."

"I guess you're more observant than I thought."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," Miyuki said. "Still…I'm so happy for you!" she screeched, hugging Shion with such force that they almost toppled over. Shion let out a yelp, taken by surprise once again. Then, the door opened with a hiss, and Allen stepped through.

"Am I, er, interrupting anything?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No, nothing at all," giggled Miyuki, in an overly-chipper voice. She brushed past Allen towards the door, and gave Shion a grin and another eyebrow wiggle before she walked out with spry steps.

"…did you tell her?" Allen shook his head at the coffee-hyped girl.

"I didn't tell her." Shion sighed. "She guessed."

"Guessed?"

"Never mind."

"Well, I guess it's not a big deal. Togashi kind of guessed too," said with a shrug. "But, are you feeling better?" he asked, resting his hands on her hips and kissing her forehead. Shion leaned against him.

"Actually, I am," she replied. "Now that I've actually thrown up, that is."

"Okay, now that's a little too much information. Ow! You didn't have to hit me," Allen muttered, rubbing the spot on his ribs where Shion had punched him.

"Sorry," Shion apologized, blushing. "I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay," Allen chuckled. "I just really can't wait until the mood swings stop."

"Oh, really? Well, neither can I, buddy," she said sarcastically. "Anyway, I think we should go back to the lab."

"I agree." Allen nodded.

As they walked out into the lab, Shion flipped off the lights and yawned. By that time, she had forgotten about the dream.

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It was just about time for the workers to call it a day. Finally, the end of their toil was near…until tomorrow, at least. As Togashi was beginning to shut down his workstation, Allen grabbed him by the shoulder. He turned wildly over his shoulder, jumping slightly.

"Oh. Hey, Allen," he chuckled, relieved. "You scared the crap out of me."

"Look, Togashi, I need a favor," Allen said softly. "Is it possible that you could stay a bit longer and initiate a small-scale encephalon dive for Shion and me? We haven't talked with KOS-MOS in a while, and-"

"You want to tell her about the baby?" Togashi suggested with a smirk. Allen pursed his lips.

"Well…yes."

"Alright then, it's settled!" The flat-topped man grinned. "I'd love to help you out. I've got a date with Miyuki, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind staying for a few extra minutes. Anything for you guys, you know."

After what seemed like a century, but was actually only a few minutes, the lab finally cleared. Togashi, Miyuki, Shion, and Allen were left alone. They waved their last goodbyes to their friends, and then they got to work.

"Are mommy and daddy ready?" Togashi asked in something similar to baby-talk, sitting down at his terminal. Shion furrowed her brow at him. He added quickly, "It was a joke, Shion, just a joke."

Meanwhile, Miyuki was off in her own little world. "Aww, I'll bet the baby will have Allen's eyes and Shion's hair and Shion's nose and Allen's ears and-"

"Miyuki, _please_," Shion pleaded, smacking herself in the forehead. "I wish you'd be a little quieter about this…"

"Shion, there's nobody else here!" Miyuki exclaimed, waving her arms and looking around wildly.

"Okay. We're ready to initiate," Togashi interrupted their little argument, handing both Shion and Allen red encephalon glasses. "This will be a small-scale dive, so there's no need to use the VR-2000." Shion and Allen put their glasses on.

"Ready," Shion said. Togashi nodded and typed in the command. Instantly, the image of the room dissolved. Shion and Allen felt the familiar weightless sensation as they went to see their "daughter".

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When Shion opened her eyes, she had to squint. The area around her was a pristine white, with the red Vector symbol on the floor. She had been there before, on the day when the Woglinde was attacked by the fleet of Gnosis. Allen stepped up behind her, placing a hand on her back.

"_I'm creating KOS-MOS' digital form_," they heard Togashi's voice through the auditory connection. Before them, the image of KOS-MOS appeared, flickering slightly before becoming solid. She blinked her scarlet red eyes, pupils focusing like a camera.

"Good morning, Shion, Allen," she greeted them formally in her monotone voice.

"Good morning, KOS-MOS," Shion replied cheerfully. "How are you feeling?"

"All systems are function normally." The typical response. Shion shrugged off the small amount of disappointment she felt.

"KOS-MOS, we have a surprise for you," Allen told her. Although, he really knew that what they were going to say wouldn't come as a true surprise to the android. He was sure that she had already picked up on Shion's pregnancy through a body-scan.

"Yes, KOS-MOS," Shion started, smiling wildly. "I'm pregnant!" The android blinked again.

"Congratulations, Shion. While this would appear to be a positive occurrence, I would strongly suggest that you delegate certain of your duties to subordinates, as I have detected several hormonal imbalances," she suggested.

"Now that's not very nice," Shion said, pouting at her. KOS-MOS nodded her head slightly.

"Precisely my point."

"Er, we just wanted to tell you the news," Allen said warily, trying to keep the conversation from becoming a brawl, since Shion could never win that one. "We thought you might be excited to have…well, a younger brother or sister."

"Though, you are well aware that the child would not be my biological sibling," KOS-MOS stated in her matter-of-fact sort of way.

"Well, of course we knew that…" Allen muttered, rubbing his temples.

"_I wonder how KOS-MOS will react when the baby comes and mommy and daddy stop paying so much attention to her,_" Miyuki chimed in, apparently having stolen Togashi's voice device. She giggled loudly. "_Who knows, maybe her first emotion will be jealousy!_" Shion rolled her eyes.

Shion and Allen heard Togashi and Miyuki grunting as Togashi tried to wrestle his microphone away from her. "_Come on, Miyuki!_" they heard him groan.

"_Jump for it!_" she exclaimed.

"_Fine, keep the damn thing_." Togashi sighed, defeated. Shion and Allen decided just to ignore them.

"KOS-MOS, you'll wake up again soon," Shion reassured the android, with a small flicker of sadness. "And you'll get to see everyone. Momo, Jr., chaos, all of us…we miss you, KOS-MOS."

"Acknowledged," she stated. "Give them my greetings." Although it was spoken in a voice void of emotion, it still meant something. Shion smiled softly and embraced the android, warmed by the small show of emotion. KOS-MOS stayed rigid, making for a strange picture.

"We'll be seeing you, KOS-MOS," Shion said, pulling away from her. "Goodbye."

"Farewell, Shion, Allen," their "daughter" said. Allen told Togashi (or Miyuki, whoever happened to be the holder of the microphone at that moment) that they were ready to exit, and the world around them went black.

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_The sun shone brightly through the windows of the dojo. The man and woman slowly circled one another, bare feet stepping, hardly making noise on the floor. They each held a katana, fingers gripping tightly. The woman wore a silk red top, with a very short skirt that fell to the top of her thighs. It had slits on either side, making it even more revealing. The other was clad in traditional training clothes: a dark shirt and pants._

_Their eyes met, and a grin flickered on the man's face as he prepared his stance. She returned the look as she brushed a few strands of blonde hair from her blue eyes. Taking inventory, she looked at him. She knew his style, his technique. He was going to play the defensive role in the beginning, as he usually did._

_Taking the initiative, she charged at him first. Their swords clashed with a deafening clang. They continued swinging and blocking with well-trained mastery. She turned quickly and tried to slash his back. He threw his blade over his shoulder to block the blow. Then, stealthily, he turned and swiped at her, catching the material on the shoulder of her sword arm. Her sleeve slid slowly down her arm, over the blade, and fell to the floor. _

_She came at him once again, hoping to get revenge. The steel of his blade slid rhythmically along her own, sparks flying in the battle-heated air. They were caught at a standstill for a moment, both panting slightly. Then, he swung at her, and she bent backwards with amazing flexibility. She countered, stepping behind him and slashing at his back. The shirt ripped, and it too fell to the floor. His bare chest, muscular and tone, glinted under a thin sheet of sweat. He flexed his biceps and flipped his dark ponytail, trying subtly to impress his partner. She smirked and licked her lips sensuously._

_The woman swung at him, and he skillfully blocked. Then, he cut her shirt just at her cleavage. It fell, but was caught on her arm. She quickly cut it free from her body, and it floated lightly to the ground, discarded along with his shirt. His eyes traveled up and down the newly-bared skin, satisfied. She was now wearing only her skirt and a strapless red bra. He tried not to lose concentration on the battle._

_After a moment's pause, they began to circle each other again, shifting their stances as they stepped. Their swords met again and again with animal ferocity as the battle grew in intensity. She swung downwards at him, but he blocked over his head. As he spun to strike her, she stepped away as quickly as he could. As if in slow-motion, the tip of his blade grazed the front of her skirt, barely touching it. _

_Still, the garment tore. His breath hitched. The skirt slowly fell down over her hips and thighs, revealing her scarlet panties. It crumpled to the floor, and she kicked it out of the way. The man's heart rate spiked and he began to sweat more heavily. She was absolutely stunning. His eyes scanned her whole body; chest, slender stomach, hips, and down to her thighs. She giggled softly at his expression. _

_She suddenly thrust her sword towards him, taking him by surprise. He leaped backwards just in time, clearing his mind of everything but the duel he was engaged in, despite the tingling sensation he was feeling. He landed quietly on one knee with catlike grace. Green eyes met blue as he slowly rose, preparing his sword. She walked backwards for a few steps, panting heavily, not breaking eye contact with him. _

_She tossed the sword in the air behind her back, catching it in the other hand, holding it in a reverse grip. He saw a smug look run across her face just before she threw her katana towards him forcefully. She ran after it, flipped, and did some amazing aerial acrobatics. She caught the sword in midair, and the blade traveled down his back to slice at the hemline of his pants. They met the floor in a crumpled heap, and she blushed, smiling softly. He smirked._

_Their blades met again and again, both the man and woman breathing heavily. Their faces were flushed and sweaty. They fell back to back for a moment, attempting to calm their heart rates. Then, they turned simultaneously, their swords clashing for a final time. They held them where the blades had met, and metal slid against metal as their faces grew closer. Their eyes closed as they felt the other's breath on their lips. Their anticipation built to a torturous amount as they waited to feel them press together._

_Neither of them felt the kiss._

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Jin was thrust violently awake, as if he had been physically thrown from his dream and propelled into his living room. He swallowed hard and wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead. That particular dream always left him like that, shaken up beyond belief. It had been a while since it had last came to him, but this time, it was as strong as ever.

The UMN television was still on, playing the news on the NAN network. He, along with Shion and Allen, had been watching a popular movie before they had all apparently fallen asleep. The two of them were snuggled together on the couch, fast asleep. Her back was pressed against his chest, and his arm was draped across her waist. Both wore peaceful, serene expressions.

In an attempt to shake the vivid images of the dream, Jin turned his attention to the UMN receiver and listened to the anchorwoman's report. "_And in our final story tonight, many are quite disturbed by the alleged murder of renowned geneticist Fabiana De Luca earlier today. As of now, it is unknown if there is a connection between this death and last week's death of explorer Alden Demetrius of Keltia._"

This time, the male anchor spoke. "_NAN news will be sure to update you every hour on the hour on this developing story, including autopsy reports. This concludes our program for today. Have a pleasant night and we'll see you tomorrow._"

Jin switched the monitor off and sighed as his eyes trailed off again to Shion and Allen. He gave them a bittersweet smile. He was so happy that his sister had found someone that she could talk to and depend on, which was a hole that he couldn't fill. But, he was also jealous. At one time, he had exactly what she did.

He tried to keep the memories from flooding back, but it was a futile defense. He was suddenly stricken with ghosts from the past that he knew he would never be able to forget. At one time, they were happy together. They shared the same dream of going into the medical field together, as doctor and nurse. They were going to spend their life with one another forever.

But, things didn't go according to plan.

_The rain was pouring down on the three people during a night that would change them forever. Jin stood by himself, with Pellegri and Margulis opposite him. Feelings of terrible hurt tore through him as the woman he loved so much cut him to pieces._

"_Jin, you know I love you,_" _Pellegri said. "But our ideals are just too different. There's no way that we can bend our lives until they fit together, because in the end, both will just end up breaking. As much as both of us would have liked it, our paths…our paths never crossed." _

"_What do you mean?" Jin cried over a roar of thunder. "We could work through this!"_

"_We won't be able to agree on anything. We'll end up wanting to tear each other apart," she said gently, her expression sympathetic. "This is the only way that we'll both be able to stay true to our beliefs, if I go to U-TIC. You're the greatest man I've never met, and I want you to be able to live the life you want. I don't want to hold you back."_

"_Pellegri, no!" Jin yelled again, swallowing over a lump in his throat._

"_I'm sorry. My mind is made up." The woman that Jin had loved the most closed her eyes and touched the necklace with the cross pendant that hung around her neck. "Thank you for all you've given me."_

_And with those words, she turned and walked away from him. He was about to chase after her, but Margulis turned to face him. He wore a sneer so sinister that it almost made Jin physically ill. As they continued on their way, he fell to the ground, his knees soaked. He beat the ground with his fists and cried out for everything that had been taken from him._

Those words cut through him like a knife. Jin had never felt more alone than he did that day. He had had everything, but after that, he was left with almost nothing.

The Miltian Conflict occurred two years after that night. In the chaos that ensued, Pellegri had been able to pay Jin a final favor. She had stolen a copy of the Y-DATA and managed to deliver it to him. There were no words exchanged during the encounter; she just handed it to him and fled. He hadn't seen her since that fateful…until the confrontation in the Ormus stronghold.

When she had appeared, he couldn't bring himself to harm her. He should have reacted as a warrior, not as a lover, but his feelings were just too strong. There was no way he could have hurt her. Jin let out another deep, heaving sigh. He was living his life without her, and it would never be perfect.

Jin was torn from his depressing memories by a loud, desperate banging on the door. He looked at the clock, which read 11:37 PM. _Who could be here so late_? he wondered, narrowing his eyes at the door. He glanced at Shion and Allen to see if they had been disturbed, but they remained fast asleep. The banging came again, this time louder than before. Jin picked up his sword and crept to the door. As soon as he opened it, he was almost knocked over by the force of someone throwing their entire weight at him, frame shuddering with sobs. He dropped his sword, and it took a few seconds for it to register in Jin's mind who this person was.

"Pellegri!" he exclaimed, completely taken aback. (I'll bet nobody saw this coming). She let out another sob, pressing her face into his chest.

"Oh, Jin," she sobbed. "I'm so relieved I finally found you, it took so long! I asked so many people about your whereabouts, but nobody knew!" She continued to cry, and Jin was still in shock.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" he stammered, the color draining from his face. "You shouldn't be here!"

Pellegri took a few deep breaths to calm her crying. Her heart was breaking with every passing second. "I ran," she explained shortly. "I couldn't take it anymore. Margulis was planning such horrible things, and…" she choked over the lump in her throat. "I had to leave!" She began to cry again, and wrapped her arms around Jin. He stepped away, however, and narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.

"How do I know that this isn't a trap?" he asked, picking his sword up off the floor. "You could just be here to betray my trust."

"Jin, you know me. Would I ever come to you like this only to go behind your back?" she said hoarsely, tears falling from her blue eyes.

"I don't know," he said coldly. "You crossed me before." Pellegri looked up at him, deeply hurt. She turned her back to him, body wracking with silent sobs once again.

"I should have never left," she whispered between sobs. "I was too busy chasing something that was completely wrong. I was so stupid to make the decision that I did." She turned back around, looking into his eyes. "I thought it would make me happy, but I just felt empty after I realized what we were truly trying to do."

Jin met her gaze, and in her eyes, he felt all of the wonderful memories come back to him. Her story seemed far-fetched, but he could see that she was honest, as well as deeply hurt. His gaze softened at her as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "We were both wrong. I was obsessed with finding the 'truth', but now I know that the real truth may never be found." He gave her a small smile. "But, just one question to ease my mind…why did you decide to run to me?" he asked her.

Pellegri returned his smile, eyes wet and shining. "After years of seeking and wanting happiness that I never found, I did some deep thinking…about my past, about what I was doing right then, and about what my future may be. It was then that I discovered that only you can make me feel that warmth, Jin. You complete me."

Without another word, Jin took her into his arms and embraced her. In turn, she wrapped her arms around him and pressed back just as hard. In an instant, it felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from their chests. Jin knew that it would take a long time and a lot of trust to make this work. Yet, even if she betrayed him again, part of him felt that it would be worth it somehow to have her with him again.

After a long moment of relieved silence, Jin pressed his cheek against her forehead. In a whisper, he said, "If you need a place to stay, you can stay here. This may take a while to work out, but…for now, we'll take it how it goes."

"Jin…" Pellegri said softly, looking up at him again. "Thank you so much." She hugged him again, and he felt warm. He breathed deep her scent, the sweet scent that intoxicated him every time he was near her.

He then glanced at Shion and Allen once again. It seemed that not even Pellegri arriving could awaken them. He looked and saw that Pellegri was staring at them as well. "Oh, where are my manners?" he said with a smirk. He walked over to the sofa and gestured to the two of them. "You remember my sister, Shion."

"Of course I do." Pellegri smiled. "She was still very young when I last saw her, maybe five years old? She's grown up so much, absolutely beautiful." Shion stirred then, as if she knew that someone was talking about her, but she didn't wake up.

"Hm, you may think that now, but just wait until you see her mood," he chuckled. "This is her fiancé, Allen. He's living with us, since a few of their friends took over his apartment."

"What an adorable couple," she said, laughing. "I'm sure Shion's very excited."

"A bit too excited," he said flatly. "But see, that's not all." He crouched down and pointed to Shion's stomach. "I'd like to introduce you to my niece or nephew."

"Oh, she's pregnant?" Pellegri inquired, raising her eyebrows. "How far along is she?"

"About three and a half weeks," he replied.

"And how long have they been engaged?"

"…about three and a half weeks," Jin said, face deadpan.

"Whoops," she said, stifling a laugh.

"Indeed," he sighed. Pellegri laughed then, and Jin was amazed at how bright her eyes still were. It was just like when they were young.

"Well," Jin started, "you can sleep in my room tonight. I'll put them to bed, and I'll sleep out here on the couch. You had better go now, or else you may take a low blow from a sleepy, angry, and confused Shion. Actually, you'd better let me tell her about you staying here. I don't want her to discover you, and hurt you."

"Thanks for the advice," Pellegri said, smiling softly. "Good night." She turned on her heel and began to walk. "Oh, and Jin?" she said, turning around. "Thank you again for all that you're doing. I promise, I won't be a burden."

"Don't worry." Jin smiled. "Good night. We'll talk more in the morning." Pellegri gave him a final appreciative smile before walking down the hallway into his room.

Jin reached down and gently shook Shion by the shoulder, taking care to shield himself from a kick. Her eyes opened groggily, as well as Allen's. "Time to go to bed, you two. Come on, you'll be sore if you sleep on a couch like that."

Shion let out a loud, sleepy groan as she stood, followed by Allen. She flashed Jin a chilling glare as they trudged into Shion's room. _Honestly, she's still like a teenager_, he mused.

He took his place on the sofa and closed his eyes, the feeling of true happiness flowing through him. A smile crossed his face as he fell asleep, for he knew that the dream would never come to him again.

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The next morning came very, _very_ early for Shion. Feeling extremely nauseous, she leapt out of bed and ran to the bathroom, moaning in dismay when she realized that the door was closed. She heard water running in the shower, and since Allen was still in bed, there could only be one culprit. "Jin!" she screamed, pounding on the door. "If you don't want to clean your carpet, I highly suggest that you open the door!"

After a few more seconds, the sound of running water stopped. Shion, holding her belly, sighed in relief. "Thank you!" she said with sarcastic gratitude. The door opened, and Shion expected Jin to appear and scold her for her "tone". Instead, out came someone different, wearing Jin's bathrobe. Shion's eyes widened as the realization dawned on her. Pellegri's eyes met hers for a moment. Remembering Jin's advice from the previous night, Pellegri fled without a word, retreating to Jin's bedroom.

Forgetting completely about her ailing stomach, mouth wide open in shock, Shion stared at the spot where Pellegri had just been standing. Then, she turned her head to look at Jin's bedroom door. She looked between these spots several more times before exploding, shrilly screaming a single syllable:

"JIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!"

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**A/N: -dies all over I'm FINALLY done! This took a long time for various reasons: school, Xenosaga 3, writer's block, and a dry reservoir of ideas. I know that some parts seemed very rushed, and I wasn't happy with them, but I decided to just push them out for the sake of the story. Jin's dream was an allusion to The Animatrix.**

**And before anybody says anything to me about this story not being factually true to Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathusta, let me say this again: _this story does not follow the plot line of the series._ I'm aware of the things that aren't in the game, and I think that they do a hell of a better job telling it than I do.**

**Thanks for all your support, guys. I appreciate it! –Grin-**


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